


Howling in the Moonlight (season 2)

by NekoAliceYamiYaoi



Series: Howling in the Moonlight [2]
Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, I'll tag as I write, M/M, Magic-Users, Slow Build Relationships, Supernatural Elements, There's gonna be deaths, Werewolf!Thomas, bad grammar sorry, but no main characters death, but there will be hints of them, minho and teresa aren't going to be together in this season, the same with gally and aris, witch!aris, witch!newt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-20
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-09-18 20:03:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 73,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9400919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NekoAliceYamiYaoi/pseuds/NekoAliceYamiYaoi
Summary: After obtaining all the fifteen jars, going to the Underworld to rescue Teresa and defeating the bad guy, Thomas and his pack think they're going to have a normal semester... but coming back from the Underworld has its price and the pack begins to experience side effects as a result of it:Thomas feels he's getting feral and can't keep his wolf on the leash; Newt can't control his magic and sometimes it's like he doesn't even have magic; Minho keeps having these strange nightmares, and Teresa is on the verge of losing her mind. Gally and Aris are left alone to worry about their friends.And as if that wasn't enough, the pack find themselves going to the Magic World in a series of unfortunate events that may change the way they see everything.





	1. Animal I Have Become

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! I'm baaack~ And with a new chapter (and season)!! I really hope you enjoy this one like the first season :D  
> I dedicate this chapter and the ones to come to runeswolves! You're great, never change! You should all check her fic "Caged" that it's at Part 4 ;)

At night over a certain brunet's room, the water of the shower could be heard running. Inside said room the whole bathroom was filled with steam and Thomas was inside the shower, one hand resting over the wall as he leaned forward and his face looked down at the shower floor; hot water falling onto his body and relaxing his muscles. It started a few weeks after they came back from the Underworld, but lately he just can't seem to get warm, only when he showers with super hot water. Thomas opens his eyes and stares at the floor and at the water running towards the drain. Minutes later Thomas came out of the shower, a towel over his shoulders as he dried his hair with it. He walks towards his drawers to pick his pajamas and put them on. As he starts changing clothes, his mind wanders off and remembered his and Aris' conversation the other day.

 

**_*Flashback*_ **

The lighter brunet witch and Thomas were over the mansion's dining room; Aris had some books over the table but he was putting them away and to the bookshelves.

"You wanted to tell me something?" asked Thomas.

"Yes. As funny as it was to go to the Underworld and fight against the forces of evil," Thomas almost rolls his eyes, "you should still be wary."

Thomas frowns, "What do you mean?"

"You went to the Underworld and back. That kind of experience will have an effect on all of you."

"You too?"

"Maybe," Aris says biting his lip, "But it will definitely be stronger in you guys. I don't know what it will be, or when will it start... But you'll be able to feel it. You'll notice it."

**_*Flashback ends*_ **

 

Thomas shook his head and his thoughts away. Putting on the shirt, he turned to his desk and threw the towel over the chair; he then turned to his bed and landed over it. Turning his face to the right, he stared at the numbers of his clock over the nightstand until he fell asleep. Tomorrow would be a new day.

 

* * *

 

The next day at school, Thomas was walking towards his locker when he caught a scent that made him stop in his tracks. He looked around the hall to try to locate where that scent came from. The scent was a mix of flowers with a little bit of fruits and Thomas didn't knew why but it was alluring and he wanted to get closer to whoever or whatever smelled like that. The flowery and fruity scent suddenly turns into a rotting scent that makes Thomas want to gag. He had never smelled something like that and he's half happy that's the case, but he would have like to know what he was facing against. He looks around but can't seem to know where -or from whom- that scent came. He stops in his tracks in fear and doesn't know what to think.

_'Is this the side effect Aris mentioned?'_ he thought.

He doesn't know how much time he stayed like that until Teresa came into his field of vision, standing in front of him with a worried look.

"Tom, are you alright?"

He manages to find his voice, "...Yeah. Yeah, I'm alright."

She seems unconvinced but she decides to let it go this time. Instead she walks him to his locker, standing beside him as he opens his locker and takes out his books. Once Thomas has his books, he closes his locker and they are about to leave when they see a familiar person entering the school.

Minho.

They see Minho walking towards them with slowed-down steps as if he were a zombie. Maybe he was still half-asleep. Once they have a clear view of him, they notice the shabby state in which he was: wrinkled shirt, bags under his tired eyes and his hair looking like a mess unlike usually. Once he's standing beside them, he hums at them in a way that might be interpreted as 'good morning'.

"Wow. You look like crap." was the first thing Teresa said.

Minho looked at her unamused. "Thank you, I saw the mirror this morning."

"Still not being able to sleep well?" Thomas asks.

Minho rests his back against the lockers, "You have no idea. My mom thinks I'm studying hard at night and although she's proud she keeps telling me to go to sleep early, but if I go to sleep earlier I'll be sleeping as soon as I get out of school." he groans, closing his eyes for a moment, "It's driving me crazy!"

"Hey," they turn to see Newt approaching them, a hand over the strap of his satchel and a smile adorning his beautiful face.

Talking about driving someone crazy. Thomas felt himself smile after seeing the blond witch. They hadn't talk about what happened over the Underworld _per se_ as Thomas wasn't really sure if the blond knew how much he meant for him. Not that Newt didn't appreciated what Thomas did for him, but Thomas didn't knew if it was only that or if he also wanted more. Thomas really wanted to ask him on a date but didn't know if he would step on a boundary if he asked. So, he was doomed to spend his highschool not knowing if he could date Newt.

Teresa looks around them and notices something, "Hey, where's Aris and Gally?"

At the mansion, Gally opens his eyes and quickly closes them after the light entering from the window almost blinds him. He had just woken up and he wanted to get back to his slumber and not worry about anything else, not even school. He was about to success when he heard some noise downstairs and that's what made him wake up for real; there was also the smell of... something burning. Quickly he jumped out of bed and exits his room, following the scent of burnt. Just as she's climbing downstairs, he notices that the smell as well as the noise, come from the kitchen, so that's where he walks to.

"Is something burning?" leaves his mouth just as he enters the kitchen.

Once he enters the kitchen, he sees Aris standing in front of the oven with burning pans over it, staring at them before turning to face the tall sandy blonde. He doesn't acknowledge the burning pans, trying to act nonchalantly.

"I- uh, yeah. My love for you, that is."

Gally just stares at him, not even bothering to glance at the stove.

Back at the school, Newt shrugs, "Aris said they would be late and not to worry."

The whole time Thomas didn't stop looking Newt. He just couldn't. It's like if especially today he looked so much better. Just then the bell rings, student hurrying into their classrooms. Newt looks back at Thomas, and a soft smile appeared over his face.

"We should go to class."

"Yeah," but he didn't move.

"Tommy?"

"Yeah,"

"I think you broke him." Teresa said beside him.

"How?"

Teresa nudges the brunet on the ribs, startling him but making him look at her,

"What?"

"Classes, Tom."

"Oh. Right." he looks at Newt, "Newt, classes."

"You guessed."

Not understanding why the blond chuckled as he turned around and started walking to his class, Thomas followed him like a loyal dog. Teresa stays behind with Minho, who was still resting against the lockers and had his eyes closed.

"Minho. Classes?"

"Ughh," he opens his eyes and looks at her.

She rolls her eyes at his whining and offers a hand, "Come on, you can sit beside me on History and sleep a little. I'll wake you if I think the teacher's suspecting."

"You're the best, woman."

 

* * *

 

At the sheriff's station, Vince was over his office, checking all the papers and information about some other cases when a knock to his door made him look up at the sheriff on his door. Vince stood up as the sheriff took a step inside.

"Is the four homicide file ready?"

Vince pales. "Uh, no. It still needs a few things to be ready."

"Well, when it's done let me know immediately."

Vince nods. "You'll be the first to know, sir."

The sheriff nods and leaves. When he's out of sight, Vince lets out a sigh.

_'Shit. Shit! How would he explain all the murders without talking about the flesh eater?!'_

Vince looked down at the files over his desk and at the file lying underneath them. The flesh eater file; he had to figure something out before the sheriff took the file.

 

* * *

 

Two classes later and finally Aris and Gally arrived. Aris' next class was Chemistry lab and he shared it with Newt, so the two witches found themselves sitting together in the class. Over their lab tables were some beakers with liquids inside them, a rounded Florence flask and three graduated cylinders.

"Alright, class. Today we're gonna have a little experiment as I said the other class. You have everything you'll need in your tables, so no excuses." the teacher claps, "Start."

Everyone nods and start doing what they had been asked. In the room it was heard students talking and discussing the instructions, the clicking of glasses and stuff. The teacher was pacing around the room, checking everyone's work as she walked beside their tables. Aris turns to start working on his part as Newt did his. He read his instructions and starts mixing the liquids carefully. As he did that, Newt brings his hand to grab the flask while he turns his head to read his instructions to continue... only that when he starts reading them they don't look like the notes the teacher gave them. It looks like the list. Cole's supernatural list, written in several languages. Without him noticing, the flask in his hand starts wobbling a little but his hand is steady.

_'Why is this written like the list? This wasn't the list. This couldn't be the list. The list was kept locked somewhere in Aris' house!'_

With his head still turned to the side and his attention somewhere else, the liquid on the flask starts boiling. Nobody seems to notice, everyone immersed in their own experiment. Aris seems to feel something is off and turns to look at the flask; the liquid continued to boil and the flask to wobble, turning into a dark purplish color instead of the clear blue that had to be. Aris turns to look at the blond, who still had his head to the other side, eyes glued to the notes. His eyes were wide as the words in his sheets slowly started to fall from their places as if they were paint. It was almost as if they were washed down, or as if they didn't had anything to hold them in place. The lighter brunet witch starts to worry and before he can do anything, the flask shatters in pieces, startling everyone in the room and apparently breaking Newt out of his trance.

The teacher approaches them, worry written in her face as she checks the flask and the students.

"Are you alright?" she asks Newt, who just nods and doesn't say anything.

As the teacher continues to check the damages, Aris continues staring at Newt. The teacher tells the blond it's alright, and she mutters something about maybe there were residues from the last experiment and they mixed, but Aris knew better. That hadn't been a chemical reaction. That had been Newt's magic.

 

* * *

 

After school came to an end, everyone pick up their stuff and went outside of the building. Aris went out in search of Newt, who he hasn't seen since Chemistry. He looked around and saw a familiar blond hair and satchel standing by the sidewalk. Probably waiting for his mom to pick him up. Not losing any more time he approached the blond witch,

"Have you been practicing?" was the first thing he said.

Newt turned to him, "What?"

"Your magic. Have you been practicing?"

"...Kind of."

" _'Kind of'_? Newt, this isn't cheerleader tryouts, you can't just _'kind of'_ practice!" he takes a deep breath and calms down. "Okay, this is what we are gonna do. You're coming with me now and we can continue practicing."

"I can't today."

Aris sighs slightly mad, "Then come tomorrow after school, don't be late."

"I won't."

After saying that he stared at something behind Aris back and for a moment the brunet witch thought it was Gally, whom he had left waiting on the lockers. But his eyes were different. He turned around and saw Thomas exiting the school, cellphone on hand and dialing a number. _Ah._ Aris turned back to Newt, who was still looking at Thomas.

"If you want to be near him or anyone for that matter, I suggest you to practice your magic and learn to control it."

And with that he went back to where Gally must be waiting for him, leaving the blond witch alone and thoughtful on the sidewalk.

 

* * *

 

After going back to his house to get something to eat -Mary had been there when he arrived and told him she would prepare whatever he wanted. God, how much he loved her- he had decided to go to the sheriff's station as Vince asked him, but he ended falling asleep on the couch. After he woke up, Mary was gone, already on her shift at the hospital, and outside was a little dark but not that much. He got up from the couch and went to the sheriff's station. Once he gets there, he gets a chill going down on his spine. Did they have the A/C that low he felt a chill as soon as he entered the building? Shaking that thought, he walks into the station and while walking sees the young forensic scientist leaning against a desk, arms crossed over his chest and head turned towards the other side, just at where Vince's office is. As he approaches him, Alec turns his head to his way.

"Hey, Alec." he says as he walks past him, but the older brunet's voice stops him from going further.

"Oh, you don't wanna go in there."

Thomas frowns, "Why?"

"Boss is getting scolded. I don't think he would appreciate you barging in while that happens."

"Getting scolded? Who's in there with him?"

Not even letting the other answer him, Thomas turned his head to the door and tried to sniff around to search for a scent. Putting Vince's scent aside, all he got was a musky scent.

He frowned.

Moments later the door opened and a built, strong man with short blonde hair, and blue eyes ([x](http://latropical102.com/wp-content/uploads/19octstephen-amell.jpg)) dressed in a suit stepped out of the office. Thomas knew who that was. FBI Agent Richard Stark. Thomas didn't like him. Not because he was a bad person, but he was always on Vince's back and blaming him for everything. What a douche!

Sure, he used to be a U.S. Army Sergeant Major; and now he's a FBI Special Agent. But that doesn't make him less of a douche. The tall blond man moved to the side to let Vince come out of his office and they continued talking. The sheriff was walking him towards the door when they noticed the brunet boy standing there, eyes glued to the FBI agent. The blond man stared back at him, face completely stoic.

"Thomas,"

_"Dick,"_ he said it with double meaning. Of course the man noticed but he didn't cared.

"Hey, you little ruffian." the sheriff said, frowning at Thomas, "He's older than you and an FBI Agent. Show some respect to your superiors."

Thomas was biting his tongue in an attempt not to growl at the other man. Alec cleared his throat, and raised a hand as if asking for permission to talk.

"Um, sir? Thomas' just here for Vince, he's not here to cause any kind of trouble-"

"Montgomery."

"Yes, sir?"

"Shut up."

Alec sat down again, "Okey..."

It was Vince's turn to talk, "Thomas, go home. Whatever it is I'm busy right now." his mouth said that but his eyes said _'I'll talk to you later, I can't right now.'_

Thomas understood and nodded. Glaring at the FBI agent one last time he turned around and went to the door, ready to exit the station when he heard the sheriff's voice,

"Kids these days. They are nothing but a nuisance!"

Thomas' hand stopped against the glass of the door as well as his whole body. He felt himself getting angry and wanting to turn around and growl at the man. His fangs were starting to come out, he could feel them. He quickly exited the station and starts running, feeling his skin burn like it was on fire. He runs into the woods, where no one can see him. As he runs, he falls to his knees on the leaves and sticks on the earth. He started to breath with difficulty and he clawed the dirt, his head hanging down. He opened his mouth, fangs glistening with saliva and eyes glowing yellow in the dark. He snarled and turned his head back to the direction in which he came from. Standing on his feet, he ran back to the station, not bothering he was half wolfed out and that anyone could see him.

Lurking in the shadows near the station, Thomas' clawed hands rested against the wall, ready to enter the station at any second and give the sheriff a little bit of his mind. Two persons exited the station, closing the door behind them and that's when Thomas sees his reflection on the glass door and gets startled by it.

_'What was he thinking? Why did he come here like this? Someone could see him!'_

Now conscious of himself and the situation in which he was, he quickly turns around and starts to leave without looking at his surroundings; he's looking directly at the sheriff's station in case someone saw him when he gets hit by a car, violently throwing him several feet away and falling face down. The FBI agent that was driving gets out of the car and once he sees Thomas he pales.

"My god!"

He runs towards the brunet boy at the same time Alec and Stark run out of the station, seemingly having seen the scene. The FBI agent crouches beside Thomas to grab his arm and turn Thomas around so he's facing them. Thomas almost panics for a moment before he's turned around but apparently there's nothing to panic for. His face is back to normal, no fangs, no hair, no glowing eyes. The brunet lies on his back and groans as the other two approaches them.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Alec yells at the agent as he kneels beside Thomas, checking for any injury.

"He- he came out of nowhere!"

"Are you trying to kill him?!"

The agent's eyes widen, "No, no, of course not!" he looks at Stark, "He just- he just ran out into the street!"

"I'm sorry." groans Thomas a little out of breath, "It's my fault. I'm sorry."

"You okay?" the brunet scientist asks.

Thomas manages to nod, "Yeah. Y-yeah, I'm fine. I swear." he turns to look at the other agent, "Sorry I hit your car." the other agent seemed to be about to have an heart-attack as he shook his head furiously. Thomas turns back to Alec.

"You sure you're okay?" agent Stark asks as he offers Thomas a hand, which he accepts.

"Yeah," he helps the brunet to stand back onto his feet. "Yeah, completely." Thomas dusts off his jeans and turns to look at the three men, "Uhh, I should go. I've got homework."

Alec stops him with a hand over his chest. "You sure you don't want to go to the hospital? You could have a concussion!"

"No, really. I'm fine. I'll just go back home."

"I can give you a ride." the agent who hit him with the car said.

"I think he's had enough with your car." Stark said, and for a moment Thomas liked the guy. The other agent shrinks.

"I'm fine, really, Alec. I'll just go home and do my homework."

Alec accepts it although he seems like he wants to run back inside the station to call for Vince. Thomas nods at the two men and turns around, walking away the station and mentally cursing himself. That had been close! As Alec turned to the agent and boy was he in trouble, Dick turns to the agent's car and sees the small dent on the bumper and frowns. He looks at where Thomas is walking away and the frown doesn't disappear from his face.

 

* * *

 

The next morning was calmer than the night before. After Vince came back he asked him if he was okay, obviously having been told by Alec about the car incident. He didn't told Vince that he had been wolfed out and wanted to rip the sheriff's throat; he didn't wanted to worry him.

Like the past days Thomas again had to take a hot shower. The hot water was at its max and still Thomas felt he needed more warmth. Good thing Vince and Mary were already awake and had showered before; he didn't wanted to hear how there wasn't hot water on the house because of him. Getting ready to the school, he was about to open the door of his room when his right arm shadow caught his attention. The shadow over the door was showing claws on his hands but his actual hands were normal, no claws. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm down and then opened them again to find that his shadow was normal. He blinked a few times and decided to worry about it later. Right now he had to go to school.

Once in the school, Thomas and Minho were inside their classroom, waiting for the bell to ring and the teacher to arrive. While waiting, Thomas told Minho everything that happened last night.

"You wanted to hurt the sheriff?"

Thomas nods.

"I mean, he's not the nicest person on this town but still, wanting to rip his throat out?"

"I didn't say that!"

"Well, by the way you told me what happened it seemed like that! Good thing you changed back."

"Yeah,"

"How did you do it?"

"I don't know."

Minho stares at him, thinking. "...Maybe you should tell Vince and Mary about it. About-

"How I'm becoming a monster?"

Minho frowns, "You're not a monster."

"No, I'm just a creature of the night with claws, fangs and a nose so powerful I can tell you who is wearing a Chanel no.5 on the next room."

"Well, when you say it like that..."

"Leave it, Min. I'll be fine."

"Okay, but promise me that you will tell them if you think it's getting out of control."

"What would _'out of control'_ mean?"

"Like if you wanted to kill the teacher because you didn't do his homework and he humiliated you in front of Newt."

"Dude, that's very specific."

Minho raises his hands, "I didn't say which teacher!"

The bell rings and everyone sits on their seats. The teacher enters the classroom moments later and that's where Thomas and Minho's talk stays. Minho doesn't notice that Thomas didn't promise him.

 

* * *

 

The next class, Aris is over the Chemistry lab when he's supposed to be on Algebra. He was checking the flask that Newt made explode and that the teacher had been too kind not to throw it away on the garbage. Maybe there was something on the flask that could tell him why Newt's magic had acted that way. Holding the flask on a hand, he closed his eyes and concentrated. He was trying to find anything weird when the door opened and Gally entered the classroom,

"I've been looking for you everywhere."

"What a coincidence. I've been avoiding you everywhere."

Gally ignores that and approaches the lighter brunet witch, who doesn't let go of the flask and closes his eyes again.

"What are you doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"Looking for you. You?"

"The same."

Gally frowns in confusion, "Looking for me?"

Aris opens his eyes and looks at him, "No, I'm trying to find something on this flask. Didn't you hear me?"

"I'm starting to question your mental faculties." he crosses his arms over his chest, "What are you trying to find?"

Aris sighs in defeat and puts the flask on the table. "Apparently nothing. I thought..." _'I would find something to help Newt with his magic'_ he wanted to say; he doesn't finishes, though.

"You thought...?" questions Gally.

"Nevermind. Let's go to class." he grabs his satchel that was on the floor and stands up, walking to the door with Gally beside him.

Thomas asked permission to go to the bathroom, and soon he was walking on the hallways to go to the bathroom. As he was walking down the hall, he saw Teresa sitting on the floor, back resting against the lockers and was holding a book with an orange cover.

He approaches her, "Hey. What are you doing in here alone?"

"Teacher didn't come, so we have a free class. I wanted to read but the classroom is filled with voices and music, so I decided to read here."

"Oh, cool. What are you reading?"

"Gravity's Rainbow."

"Oh, that sounds... great."

She stares at him, "You don't know what it is about, don't you?"

Thomas smiles sheepishly, "No idea."

Teresa smiles back. They stay like that before she frowns,

"Don't you have somewhere to go, Tom?"

Thomas blinks a few times and sees the bathrooms at the corner of his eyes. _Oh, right!_

"Right!" he runs towards the bathrooms. Teresa chuckles and watches him walk into the boy's bathroom and then continues with her reading

 

* * *

 

Over the cafeteria, Thomas and Minho were sitting on a table, eating their lunch and talking about stuff. Gally and Aris had left minutes ago, telling them they had to check something about a class -which Aris apparently skipped. Newt and Teresa hadn't stepped into the cafeteria, but that was okay. There was still time. Thomas had brought an orange book with him but Minho didn't question him. Maybe it was for some class. As Thomas finished with his food, out of the corner of his eyes he saw Newt walking past the cafeteria. Thomas gets up, ready to follow after him when he groans as he remembers something.

"What?" his best friend asks.

Thomas touches the orange book, "I gotta give this to Teresa. She forgot it on History."

"I'll give it to her, don't worry."

"Sure?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Okay! Thanks! See you next class!"

Thomas runs out of the cafeteria and after the blond witch like if he had rockets on his feet. Minho chuckles at his best friend. Boy was he in love with the witch. He took another bite from his sandwich and a sip from his soda. Minho wipes his hands and goes to grab the book and the next thing he knew it was that he wasn't in the cafeteria anymore but standing on the hallways. He isn't alone either. Thomas and Gally were there too and they seemed to be talking about something but he couldn't hear what exactly. Thomas stops talking and looks at something behind Minho.

"Oh, there's Teresa."

Minho turns and sees Teresa going down the stairs with some books on her hands. Before they could call for her or anything else happened, the raven girl suddenly tripped on the steps and fell. He stretched his hand forward as if he could help, as if he wanted to avoid her fall but it was too late. Minho's eyes widen as he watches her fall and land on her hand, a 'crack' sound resounding over the halls followed by her books touching the floor next to her. As people started to gather around the stairs to see what happened, Minho was running towards the stairs....

...and back to the cafeteria. Startled, he looked around and saw as everyone was acting normally, chatting and eating, minding their business. Then the bell rang, indicating that lunchtime had ended. Students start standing up with their trays and exiting the cafeteria. Minho frowns. But lunch had started just minutes ago, it can't be over now. Did he fell asleep in the middle of the cafeteria and didn't realize? Well, that explains that weird dream. But why would he dream about something like that?

Thinking that maybe that conversation should be done at some other time, Minho picks up his stuff and walks out of the cafeteria.

 

* * *

 

After the last class came to an end, Thomas and Gally were over the halls chatting when Minho approached them.

"Hey, did you get to give Teresa her book back?" asked Thomas.

"No. Maybe she came to the cafeteria and couldn't find me." at his best friend's confused look he says "I think I fell asleep on the cafeteria."

_"Dude,"_

"What? It's not like I planned it!"

"Were you that tired?" Gally asks.

"That's the problem. I don't even remember falling asleep. I was having this weird dream and suddenly lunch time had finished."

"Maybe you should stay at your home if you feel like that."

Minho shook it off like nothing, "Naah, I'm fine. I'm tough stuff."

Thomas chuckles at that; he then looks at something behind Minho and says,

"Oh, there's Teresa."

At hearing the blue eyed raven girl's name, Minho's ears perked up and his eyes widen. He quickly turns his head to where the stairs are and indeed sees Teresa going down the stairs, holding some books close to her chest. Running as fast as he can towards the stairs, the two guys frown at his sudden reaction when suddenly Teresa trips with a pencil lying on one of the steps, making her lose her balance and her books fall from her grip, but she never touches the ground as Minho is there to stop her fall, his strong arms around her waist. Her hands are against his chest and her blue eyes are wide, staring at the raven male in front of her. Her heart is beating like crazy inside her chest but it was because of the scare she had thinking she was going to fall down the stairs.

"How did you do that?" she asks still holding his gaze.

"I-I... Honestly, I don't have any idea."

She lets out a small chuckle and they continue to stare at each other as the two guys approach them.

"Damn, Minho." Thomas said.

"You alright?" Gally asks to the raven girl. She nods.

Walking past them were Aris and Newt, both holding their satchels. Not bothering to stop, the lighter brunet calls for Gally,

"Move it, Gally! Newt's coming with us."

The other frowns, "What? Why?"

"Because." and with that both witches exit the school.

Gally sighs in exasperation but reluctantly followed them. Thomas turns back to the two ravens -who are still in the same position- and clears his throat.

"We should go too."

Minho nods, "Yeah,"

Thomas starts walking to the door, leaving the other two alone.

"Um," at hearing her voice, Minho turns to Teresa, "You can let go now."

That's when Minho realizes that he's still holding her by the waist and they are standing pretty close. His hands let go of her as if they were burned and then goes to help her with her books. The girl chuckles at that but doesn't comment on it.

"Here you go." he gives her her books.

"Thank you."

Minho looks at the main door and back at Teresa. He points at the door with both arms, "Shall we?"

Teresa nods and they walk to the door and to exit the school. Minho tries to forget how he dreamed about her falling down the stairs.

 

* * *

 

As the sun was going down, at the mansion Aris had left Newt alone in his room as he went to retrieve something. Newt was staring at the bookshelves on Aris room. He sure had several magical books, but he told Newt that he wouldn't be using any of those until he learned the basic. He had a lot to learn. Seconds later Aris comes back holding an old-looking book on his hands. Newt recognizes that book; his grandma has one but his mom told him he wouldn't be using that as it was old. So why was Aris holding it?

"I heard that you don't even use the proper textbook in your daily lessons."

Newt groans, knowing where he's going. " _Ow_ , Aris, that textbook's like a thousand years old! It still refers to _'werewolves'_ as _'therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creatures'_."

Aris makes an incredulous face, "So... so you think you're smarter than whoever wrote this book? You're smarter than..." he looks at the spine of the book and turns it around, _"MERLIN?!"_

" _No-_ " Newt holds his finger up to stop the other for a moment, "Listen, I know you're trying to help me, and I appreciate that, but when you told me you would teach me I thought you meant different from my grandma and my mom. This, using books and stuff, is the exact same thing!" he shrugs, "So, I thought it wouldn't be a bad thing if I tried to do it... a little different."

"You and I both know that what happened yesterday at Chem lab wasn't bad cleaning of the instruments."

"Oh, so you're saying that it was my fault?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. You couldn't control your magic, so whatever reason you had, it made your magic go crazy and it made the flask explode. But that's why I'm here! To teach you control it." he puts the book down on the desk, "At first I thought you should do what you did at school, but then I realized that might be a little too stupid to ask."

"Why's that?"

"Because you did it unconsciously. You didn't mean for the flask to boil and explode."

"Obviously."

"You need to learn to control the magic that flows in your body, but you can't control something you don't understand. So, first thing: take this off." he says holding his cuffed hand.

Newt takes a step forward and takes the cuff off, putting it over the desk. Aris opens and closes his hand to loosen up his hand and then stays still, breathing calmly with a hand to the front. Moments later a green flame appears over his palm, Newt's eyes widen in fascination at the green flames dancing over the brunet's hand.

"Wow,"

Aris grins and then the flames disappear. "That's kind of how magic flows in our bodies. It looks like fire and it can burn like one. Wanna try and see what color yours is?"

Newt nods with a big smile over his face. He wanted to know which color his would be and how would it feel.

"Okay. Now, what you need to do is the exact same thing. Extend your palm to the front and hold it still; you'll be able to feel a tingly on your arm."

"Why does it sound more complex that if seems?"

"Maybe because it might be." Newt rolls his eyes, "Now, focus on your hand. On your magic. You're going to concentrate your magic in the palm of your hand, yes you heard right, in the palm of your hand."

The blond witch holds his hand to the front but nothing happened. He stayed like that, staring at his palm

"Concentrate."

"I'm trying!"

"Try harder."

Newt huffed as he closed his eyes and tried to focus. He stayed like that for almost a minute when a small light appeared on his hand, but he didn't saw it. But Aris did. It's like when you light a match, but instead of the typical red flames there were big -even bigger than Aris'- blue flames on his palm. Newt opened his eyes and stared at them with amazement. They looked incredibly beautiful dancing in the air. Newt's eyes are open wide and bright; he looks so proud of himself so he doesn't notice that the flames are growing more. Aris does notice and he goes to open his mouth to say it but then its' like someone cut a rope and released the flames; everything starts going out of control. Newt can no longer control it, the blue flames moving wildly around the room.

Aris takes a step back and brings his hands to the front to cover himself and everything happens so fast neither of them can do anything.

The flames extinguish but not before they manage to get to the lighter brunet witch who screams in pain, bringing his wounded hands to his chest, hunching over in pain. With the flames gone, Newt stays in his place with wide eyes as he sees Aris double over, hands hiding over his chest as he continues to complain about the pain. The blond gasps in realization and holds his hands up in a non-threatening manner,

"Oh my God! Oh my God, Aris! I'm so sorry! I-

His apologizes continue even as Gally rushes into the room looking around, his eyes falling over Newt and then at Aris, then back at Newt as he enters the room, approaching the lighter brunet witch in pain.

"What happened?!"

"'m fine. I'm fine." mumbles Aris, still not looking up.

"I didn't mean to! We were just practicing and- It went out of control! _I-I_ …"

Gally just ignored his babbling and went to take grab Aris' hand to check on them, and when he manages to make the lighter brunet show him his hands Newt feels horrible. Aris' hands were completely burned, skin peeled off and dangling from his hand, red blotches over the palms, and they couldn't stop twitching because of the pain.

"I'm so sorry. _I—_

Newt doesn't know what else to say. It was all because of him. It was all his fault. Feeling bad for everything, he closes his eyes and runs out of the room, not bothering looking back. Aris goes to follow him,

"Newt, wait!"

But Gally stops him with firm hands over his shoulders, "Hey, hold on. Where'd you think you're going?"

"I have to- He- this wasn't—

"I don't care about that. Right now we have to cure your hands."

Minutes later -after calling Thomas-, Thomas enters the room, looking around wildly and finding Aris sitting on his desk while Gally was sitting over the chair in front of him, bandaging his hands. They both look at him. Thomas enters the room and gets closer,

"Where is he?" he asks.

"He just left running without saying a word." answered plain Gally.

Thomas felt anger. "And you let him leave?!"

"I'm sorry, I was more worried about the skin peeling off Aris' hands!"

Thomas winces. Gally stands up and exits the room, muttering _'I need some adhesive tape'_ as he leaved. The brunet glances at the witch's hands and like a kicked puppy he approaches the other.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I was in such a shock I completely forgot I could heal myself with magic."

With a move of his wrist, his hands shine for a moment and then it's gone. Aris slowly removes the bandages to reveal his healed hands, no longer red and marred. Thomas can't help but to feel something in his stomach while a voice in his head reminds him that Newt did that. Newt did that. He's shaken out of his thoughts by the witch talking,

"Remember what I told you about all of you going to experiment some changes and all that because of the Underworld? I think it's happening to Newt." the werewolf frowns, "He was doing so great, but then... it just went out of control, like if the flames were alive. There was fear in his eyes. He didn't want this to happen, but he couldn't control it." he said looking down at his hands, letting out a sigh, "You don't know what's it like for a witch. To be afraid of your own magic. To not be able to control it."

Thomas took a step closer, "I need to find him, Aris. Please,"

Aris starts thinking about something before he looks at Thomas, "I don't think Newt would go to his house. He's scared about his magic and he wouldn't risk hurting his family if he weren't able to control it. If I were afraid and wanted to be left alone, there's only one place in this town where I would go."

 

* * *

 

Out in the woods in the dark, Newt continued to wander around the big trees and the dried leaves. He had managed to calm down like half an hour ago but he still was worried. Worried about his magic. Worried about Aris. Worried in general. It was getting chillier and he didn't had any sweater to cover himself from the cold and he couldn't use his magic to make some fire. He would probably end up burning the woods. As he continued to walk, he thought he heard something but decided to ignore it. The second time he heard it, it was the sound of a branch breaking in half. Like when someone stepped on it. He looked around and tried to see if he could find someone on the woods but there was no one there... that's when he saw it.

A shadow in all fours with pointy ears, fur covering its body and a long fluffy tail: a coyote. A coyote was a few meters away from him, staring right back at him. Neither of them moves. Newt could hear his heart beating hard on his chest and he wondered if the coyote could hear it too. As he stares at the coyote his right hand starts shaking as if he were afraid or cold, but it wasn't neither. It was his magic. He looks down at his hand,

"No, no, no."

He looked back at the coyote and found it snarling at him, showing its teeth and ear thrown back. Newt didn't wait for the animal to snarl again; he ran to the other direction the animal was and soon the coyote was running after him. The cold wind was hitting his face as he ran, and his breath was getting ragged. The steps of the coyote running behind him made him run faster but he knew that the cuadrupedal animal would soon catch him and most probably eat him. Still running he started to look around for possible escape routes.

_"Newt!"_

He heard his name being yelled and so he turned his head back to the front and saw the brunet werewolf running towards him.

"Thomas!"

Thomas, sensing the distress in his voice, started running faster towards him.

"Thomas, _run!_ "

They run to each other and once Thomas has a chance, he grabs Newt's hand and they turn around to run away from the coyote. Thomas is glad that he found the witch unharmed, but that won't be the case if the coyote continues chasing after them. Thomas has an idea -what does he has to lose?- and lets go of Newt's hand and the other continues to run for almost three seconds before he realizes the other isn't following. Thomas turns and, half wolf-out, howls at the animal to stop it. The coyote does stop running, but it also snarls at Thomas, its paws scratching the dirt and showing its teeth and tongue. Soon, the coyote launches against the brunet, knocking him to the ground. As Thomas and the animal start fighting, Newt looks down at his hand and it starts shaking again. He can't help Thomas without the risk of hurting him.

Thomas manages to get up and put some distance between the coyote and him. He's standing between the coyote and Newt, who is behind him and why hasn't he run?!

The coyote runs to Thomas again, but this time a weight clashes against his body, making him and the other person tumble down to the ground. Newt pushed him away from the coyote's way. Before he could thank him, they found themselves at the coyote's mercy, as it had recovered and was now staring at them. As the coyote snarls at them, making its way to them, suddenly a tall, broad figure launches at the coyote, knocking it to the dirt and starts wrestling with it. Thomas and Newt can't move, their eyes glued to the fight before them. The coyote finally wrestles free and they put some distance between them. The coyote snarls at the figure like it did with Thomas, but the figure -a person, by the looks of it- is having none of it. Instead, the person howls harder and louder at the coyote, rumbling through the woods and making the animal take a step back in submission. Once the person's growl stopped, the coyote whined and ran away.

Thomas and Newt stayed in the ground while catching their breath. Once they were fine, they both stood up and stared at the person who had his back at them. The man turned around but the shadows covered his face. Once he came from out the shadows, Thomas could see his face better. He was still in shock from the attack that it took him a moment to recognize the man standing in front of them,

"Dad?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here it is! The first chapter of the second season! Did you like it? What do you think of it?  
> Another new character appears: FBI Special Agent Richard "Dick" Stark (face claim: Stephen Amell), ladies and gentlemen. Is he going to bring troubles or is he an ally?  
> And what about the very end of the chapter, huh?


	2. Wolf's Rhapsody

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for being so patient with me! But remember that every Friday (if not, then on Saturdays) is the updates :)

"Dad."

The dark brown haired man ([x](http://s3.india.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/hugh-jackman-600x4271.jpg)) standing in front of them turned to look at them -as he was looking behind his back in case the coyote came back- and now that he was out of the shadows, his face and well, his whole self could be seen. Besides from his dark brown hair, he had light brown eyes -not quite the same color of Thomas'- and was sporting a stubble beard. He was muscled, it could be seen underneath the plain white button-down v-neck t-shirt -which now had some dirt because of the fight- he was wearing, together with brown pants.

Thomas stared at the middle age man with several feelings going through his mind. He was supposed to be out of town because of his work. Why was he here? And why was Thomas not informed that his father was back?

He saw his father's mouth moving and realized he had been ask something.

"Uh, sorry, I was distracted. What?"

His dad's eyes move from him to where Newt was standing, "Friend of yours?"

That brought Thomas out of his trance. "Yeah. Dad, this is Newt. Newt, this is my dad."

The blond witch holds out his hand and when the man shakes it, he raises an eyebrow at Newt, "Witch?"

"...Yes, sir."

"Mm," it seems like he's going to say something else but he lets go of the witch's hand and takes a step back, "What were you two doing alone in the woods at this hour?"

Newt goes to open his mouth but Thomas interrupts him,

"It was my fault. I, uh, I thought I saw something and wanted to follow it, and I brought Newt along."

The dark brown haired man stares at him as if trying to decipher if he's telling the truth or lying. Thomas tries to keep his face neutral but his heart is other story.

_'Keep calm, keep calm.'_

"Well then, I think it's better if we stay out of the woods for today."

Thomas holds in the relief sigh he wanted to exhale. His dad turns around, his back at them and starts walking. The two teens get it and start following the man. Something it's still bothering Thomas and he doesn't know what... Oh, that's right.

"Wait, how did you know I was here?" he asks his dad.

"I got your scent from outside the woods while I was on a cab."

"And where's the cab?"

"Probably still waiting for me to come back."

And when they get out of the woods, surprisingly the cab is still parked where his dad said he climbed out and ran to the woods. The driver seems confused as why there were now three people instead of one but he doesn't say anything.

The taxi drove Newt back to his house after arriving at Thomas' house. His dad still had his luggage with him, so that means he hasn't entered the house. Saying goodbye to Newt and that he will see him tomorrow at school, the taxi drives away. Thomas helps his dad with his stuff and, after a long time of doing so, they enter the house together.

"Mary! Vince! I'm home." calls out Thomas.

Steps could be heard coming from the kitchen, and soon Mary -who had come out early from work- was walking to the entryway, "Thomas, it's late. You said you would only be gone for a few-

At seeing the dark haired man standing in the entryway, whatever Mary was gonna say died on her mouth. She stayed there without moving with her mouth still hanging open when a smile appeared in her face,

"Stephen! You're back!

And she went to Thomas' dad -Steve- and hugged him. They looked like two sibling hugging after not seeing each other for a long time.

"I can't believe it! You're back!" she said when they separated.

"What's all the ruckus?" Vince's voice came from the kitchen and he stopped with a mug on his hand, "Oh, hey, Steve."

"Vince." his dad acknowledges him. He nods at the mug, "Coffee?"

"You hope." but he approaches the man and they shake hands before having an one arm hug and patting each other's back. "You didn't tell us you would be back today."

"Yeah, it was something of last minute. Didn't have time to tell you."

The three adults turn to where Thomas is standing without saying anything. The brunet's eyes widen for a moment, "I, uh, I'm going to go make homework. Have lots of it."

"Okay, honey." Mary says smiling at him.

Thomas then goes to the stairs and climbs them up, not looking back as he goes to his room. Once he's gone, Steve turns to the other two and he gives a shrug, "He seems fine."

Mary rolls her eyes and turns back to the kitchen, leaving Steve and Vince on the entryway.

"Did I say something bad?"

"No idea."

 

* * *

 

The next day at school, Thomas was over his locker, taking out his books as he told Minho everything that happened last night. It had been weird for Thomas to get up and see his dad there over the kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee still in his pajamas. How long has it been?

"So your dad is back?"

"Yeah,"

"That's great... right?"

"Yeah. I guess. I mean," he sighs, "I don't know. Will it be different?"

"What will?"

"When he left I was still human, but now that I'm a werewolf too how will it affect our relationship?"

"Maybe it will get better."

"You think?"

"Yeah. You both are werewolves, so you'll have someone to ask about if you have any doubt. And you'll be able to train with him, and I don't know, run in the woods under the moonlight."

Thomas rolls his eyes but smiles at that. He hopes it's true. The bell rings and they walk to their class. After sitting on their seats, Minho behind Thomas, the brunet turns around so they can continue talking.

"So, anything new? How's your sleep? Are you doing well?"

Minho goes to open his mouth to answer but the teacher enters the classroom, saying something about everyone being quiet and take out their notebooks. Minho shuts his mouth and tells Thomas that he'll tell him later.

He doesn't.

 

* * *

 

After arriving to the school, Newt was picked up by Aris on the tall blond's truck and they went back to the mansion to continue with their training.

"Shouldn't we practice on my magic from yesterday?" asked Newt once they were sitting on Aris' room.

"No. I think we shouldn't press on it, it's still a sensitive spot. We should leave it for today."

Newt nods.

"Okay!" the brunet claps, "Let's get started. Now, we know that while magic is useful, so is having herbs and other magical stuff. You can't always count on your magic, and also some things aren't able to be conjured out of thin air." he stands in front of the table with three little jars ([x](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/f3/ab/47/f3ab4721b1f1d2e9e268dfcbeb451967.jpg)), "Now, no matter where I go, I always have to have at least this three little bottles with me." he moves to grab and hold up the one with a black powder. Newt knew what that was. "Mountain ash. No supernatural creature can pass it, as you already know." he grabs the other jar that had purple flowers, "Wolfsbane, just in case, you know."

Newt points at the other jar, "And what's that?"

Aris looks at the third jar. He only touches the top of it, "Kanima venom."

"Kanima?"

"Yeah, a lizard-like creature. Its claws have a slimy substance that can paralyze you in seconds." he grins with malice, "Wanna see how it works?"

Over the kitchen and dining room, there was a cup of coffee on the table. Aris and Newt were hiding behind the couch waiting for Gally to come out of the bathroom and grab his coffee. The tall blond comes out of the bathroom and unaware he walks to the table. The two witches watch as the tall blond goes to grab his coffee over the table and takes a sip form it. As Gally grabs the mug, he feels something weird over his fingers and raises his hand to see a slimy substance. He frowns,

"What the..." he doesn't get to finish, as he starts feeling numbness over his hand and then the rest of his body, " _Wha--_

The venom kicks in and he falls to the floor with a loud thud. The first thing he did was to be afraid for a moment that this was an attack or something, but then he realizes what the slimy thing was and where did it came from.

_"ARIS!"_

The two witches laugh behind the couch.

 

* * *

 

At the sheriff's station, Vince entered the bathroom to clean his hands as he had dirtied them with ink. He was washing them over the sink when he heard one of the toilets flush and seconds later the sheriff came out of one stall and walking towards the sinks.

"Oh, hey, sheriff."

"Vince," the man acknowledge him with a nod, and went to wash his hands too, "You know, I need the four homicide file in my desk."

Vince paled and stopped washing his hands, "About that... I told you that-

"Yeah, yeah. _'It's not ready yet'_. I'm not asking you, Vince." he finishes and then wipes his hands with paper towels, "Let me put it in another words: I'm gonna need that file, whether you're ready or not."

And without letting Vince say anything else, he turns around and exits the bathroom. Shit.

 

* * *

 

At Thomas house while the brunet was still at school, Mary and Steve -Thomas' dad- were over the kitchen, the dark-brown haired man sitting with a mug of coffee while Mary was washing her dishes and mug of coffee.

"Although it doesn't seem like it, Thomas is happy to see you again."

"He has a strange way to show it. Going to sleep early and leaving before I wake."

Mary turns to face him, "He was just shocked to see you without any warning." she takes a few steps to the kitchen table, "You have to spend time with him, Steve."

"He's at school." he goes to take a sip from his coffee.

Mary grabs the mug and puts it away, "I didn't meant right now, and you know it." the dark haired man sighs, "He's your son, he's new in all this and he needs someone to guide him. To teach him. Besides, it won't be too long before you have to go back to work."

Steve looks to the side, "You think I don't know? I don't like it when I'm gone for too long. Thomas is all I have."

"Which is why you have to make the most of the time you have with him." she puts the mug back in front of the man and exits the kitchen, leaving Steve to think about what she said.

 

* * *

 

After coming back from school, Thomas was surprised not only to find his dad still there but that the first thing that came out of his mouth was

"I'm going to teach you how to control your werewolf powers."

Thomas blinked a few times, "What?"

"You need to learn. You do know I didn't know how to control it when I was a kid, right? You don't 'born knowing'. I had to learn like my father did, and like his father before him."

"So you're going to teach me?"

"You need to learn to control your wolf. You don't want to hurt anyone close around you, do you?" Thomas shudders at that. His dad nods, knowing he's got his attention, "So tell me, before we start any kind of training: do you have any kind of distractions?"

Thomas stares at the nothing and thinks for a moment. He can't tell his dad about Newt. Not that there's much to talk about, but _still_.

"...No."

"I don't need to be a werewolf to know that you're lying."

"It's not a distraction!" he yells, "My friends. That's all. They're not distractions, they're my pack!"

"They're what?"

"What?"

"What did you said?"

"...My pack?"

"So your _'pack'_ , huh?" his dad stares at him, looking him from head to toe as if analyzing him. He nods, "Okay. I would like to meet your friends."

 

* * *

 

Gally hears the bell ring and so he gets up from the kitchen counter and walks towards the door. He opens it and finds Thomas and a tall, build man standing on the other side. The young brunet waves at him,

"Hey, Gally. Sorry to interrupt."

"It's okay."

"I, uh," he looks back at the man, "My father wanted to meet all of you, so..."

Gally looks at the man for a moment and then moves aside to let them enter the mansion. Once the three of them are standing on the entryway, the tall sandy blond turns around to where the stairs are and he calls for the witch,

"Aris! Are you decent?"

_"Not morally, but I'm wearing pants if that's what you're asking."_

Thomas can practically see Gally rolling his eyes. The blond sighs, "Just come downstairs!" he turns back to Thomas as the witch starts coming down the stairs.

"Sorry, I... I wanted to present you my father."

Gally holds his hand to the man, "Mr. Hawthorne. Nice to finally meet you."

Thomas' dad does the same and they shake hands, like two grown up men. Like gentlemen. "Likewise." the man then turns to Aris, who is finally with them.

Instead of doing the same that the tall blond did, Aris waves two fingers at him, "Wassup."

"Please be formal." Gally says beside him.

"Wassup sir."

Steve just stares at Aris without making any kind of expression. He then sniffs the air like when he did with Newt.

He raises an eyebrow at Thomas again, "Another witch?"

"Oh, another one who doesn't like witches." Aris says, "Shocker."

Thomas' dad looks over the witch's wrist at the leather cuff, and nods at it, "What's that for?"

"Oh, you'll see, this guy over here" he says pointing at Gally, "likes it when I'm tied up, so-

"Okay! I think that's enough!" interrupts Thomas before his dad gets the wrong idea. "I think we should leave. They obviously look busy. Come on, dad." he turns and opens the door, "See you later, Gally, Aris."

"Bye, Thomas. Goodbye, sir." Gally says.

Aris grins, "Come visit us again. We like having public to watch us."

Thomas closes the door and can hear as Aris lets out a yelp. Maybe Gally smacked him on the back of the head. Good. He turns to his dad,

"Don't trust everything that Aris says. He likes to joke."

His dad doesn't answer to what he said; instead he says "Meet me in the woods in half hour."

"Okay... Why don't we go there together?"

"Because I need to do something first. Now, go."

 

* * *

 

And just like his dad told him, half an hour later Thomas was in the woods, waiting for him. He was wandering, trying to catch his dad's scent but in no avail.

"Dad? Hello?"

He continues walking, totally unaware of his surroundings. He gives a step forward and suddenly there's a mini explosion underneath his feet and it sends him away on the ground on his side.

"Ow, what the...!"

Was that really an explosion? What the hell?!

He goes to stand up and approach the still smoking ground and frowns. Why did the ground suddenly exploded? Was there like a mine or something? Thomas takes a step back and suddenly another explosion sends him to the ground.

"The fuc-

He moves his hand to the left and another explosion hurts his hand, making him growl in pain. As he clutches his wounded hand, Thomas stands up and starts running; but no matter where he moved, there was an explosion there too. He continues running and trying to avoid the explosions the best he could. He was starting to get angry and wanted nothing more than to roar.

Another explosion, this time with a little bit more magnitude, tossed him to the ground face-first. He clawed the dirt with both hands as he raised his face, and he was half wolf-out. Growling, Thomas got up and continued running, this time more feral than before. His fangs were out and his eyes glowed. He continued running, the explosions barely touching him or touching him but he didn't care. He was so angry, pumped with adrenaline that he couldn't think straight.

Suddenly he must have stepped on two mines or whatever the hell that was in the ground, 'cus both feet left the ground at the same time and he flied through the air for a moment before falling to the ground with a hard thud. It knocked the air out of his lungs and as he recovered his breath he was no longer wolfed-out. He groaned as he sat and then got up. He goes to move without thinking about the explosions when someone tackles him to the ground and then an explosion occurs just where he had been standing seconds ago. Thomas turns to the person who tackled him and finds his dad beside him.

"What the hell-

He doesn't get to finish as his dad hauls him to his feet and drags him to an abandoned shack in the middle of the woods. Once inside, Thomas manages to catch his breath as his dad stares at him.

"Okay, even a newbie would have learned from the first mine that the whole ground was scattered with mines and that they should have, not move forward. Or at least try to hear the mines underneath so you can move forward."

Thomas' eyes widen, "That was you?!"

His dad ignores his question, "Now, what happened in your first full moon?"

"I, uh, escaped my chains... and went to a friend's house, b-but I managed to control myself and went back to the house and chained myself again."

"Okay," Steve nods, taking in all the information. "Back in the woods, do you remember what happened when you stepped in the mines? Right after the big one?"

"Yeah, I changed back."

"And when you were hit by the agent's car at the sheriff's station, same thing, right? What's the common denominator?"

Thomas opened his mouth but didn't know the answer. His father seemed to notice that, as he grabbed his arm in a firm hold.

"What are you-

He doesn't get to finish as his father snaps his arm in a quick move, breaking it. Thomas howls, eyes glowing yellow. His father let go of his arm and the brunet falls to the floor, holding his arm while looking at his father.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"It'll heal. Now what's the common denominator?"

_"Pain!"_

"And that's what keeps you human." his dad says pointing at him, "Pain."

"Couldn't you just tell me that?!"

His dad gives him a look and then turns around, starting to leave the shack. Thomas continues holding his arm as it heals and he watches his dad leave, so he follows.

 

* * *

 

At night over his room, Minho was lying on his bed, tossing and turning around; brows furrowed and mouth ajar, small puffs of air leaving his lips. While he was having his nightmare, his left hand gripped tight the sheets as he continued to toss. There were too much scenes going through his mind.

 

_Warm, wet blood. Too much blood._

_A knife slicing... skin dripping with blood._

_The cold night and a horrible laugh. Almost with malice._

 

Minho shot up with a scream as he scrambled from the bed, half crawling, half running to the bathroom. He turned on the light as he gripped the sink, choking while trying to breathe. He looked up at his reflection on the mirror and finally calmed down. He saw the bags under his eyes and the sweat running down his face. His nightmares weren't getting any better... but worse.

 

* * *

 

The next day at school at the second class, Thomas was walking over the hallway thinking about yesterdays training. After the mines thing, he had to run from the woods to the house, then to the sheriff's station and back to the house in only 5 minutes or less. His dad was crazy. His legs still ached a little from that.

As he turns over the corner he sees Newt over the lockers talking to a blonde girl who was taking her books out of her locker. She seemed to be asking him about some homework, and the blond witch was answering back. He was so nice. Now Thomas was sure. He has given it too much thought and he had decided to just ask him out. If he says yes then Thomas can die happy. If he says no... well, let's just say Thomas will die. But he won't force him. No, he's not like that. He tries to act cool as he approaches the two blondes.

"Hey, Newt."

The blond smiles at seeing him, "Hi, Thomas." the girl talking to him waves at him while saying goodbye and that leaves the two of them alone. "What is it?"

"I, uh, I wanted to ask you something. I've been thinking about this for too long and I need to ask it right now before I chicken out." he takes some air, "I was wondering... If you wouldn't mind going on a date. With me. A date with me. It's okay if you say 'no', but I just needed to tell you."

Newt doesn't say anything; he just stays still, staring at Thomas. Almost as if he's analyzing him and what he just told him. Thomas prepares for the worst. He can take it.

" _'If I wouldn't mind going on a date with you'_? Are you kidding me?" well, that's it. "Whoever is brave enough to go to the lengths of getting my soul back from the ruler of the Underworld... is definitely worth a date."

Thomas' ears twitch. What? What? He looks up at Newt and finds the blond looking at him, a small smile on his lips. Thomas blinks a few times.

"Wha-whu-what, really?"

Newt nods.

Thomas' face breaks into a smile but he tries not to show how much excited he is. He fails. The bell rings; Thomas was so hyped that he acted on impulse.

"Great." he closes the locker the girl had left open, "See you then." he leans and gives Newt a chaste kiss on the lips, and then leaves to his classroom like nothing. Newt stands still the whole time, looking shocked at what just happened as the people around him continue their movements.

Thomas enters the classroom as well as the other students do. He sits and puts his bag on his side, looking at the front with his normal smile and his hands intertwined. Still on the hallways, the second bell rings as Newt opens his mouth, still not moving, trying to process what happened.

Thomas' smile falls when he realizes what he's done, "Oh, God."

 

* * *

 

"So you kissed him?"

Thomas groans. Minho and he were over the lockers as Minho took out his books for the next class. During the second class Thomas didn't pay attention to what the teacher was explaining or writing on the board; all Thomas could do was panic. Panic about the kiss he gave to Newt. He didn't mean to! Well, he _did_ want to, but he wasn't going to kiss him so soon!

"I screwed up! I screwed up so bad!" he said as he hit his head on the lockers.

"Well, he did tell you that you could take him to a date."

"Yeah, but that's not the same as _'dating'_ or as in _'I give you permission to kiss me'_!" he groans again, "I was just so...! _Urgh!_ And then I, _ugh!_ "

"Yeah, I get it. Your _'urgh'_ and _'ughs'_ are enough."

"I'm serious, Min!"

"So am I. Maybe it didn't change anything, you know? Yeah, sure, it took him by surprise but what's he gonna do? Avoid you from now on? Date someone else?"

Thomas sighed.

As Minho continued taking his books out, something catches Thomas' attention behind his best friend. He sees Newt talking to some guy near the stairs. They were standing too close for Thomas' liking, and they acted familiar between them. The blond laughs at something the other said and even nudges him playfully, making the guy chuckle. Thomas' hand curls into a fist in anger and unnoticed by him, his eyes start glowing. The guy raises his hand to touch Newt's face, apparently removing an eyelash from the blond' cheek. Newt stares at him and says 'thank you' with a smile. Minho finishes with his books and looks at his best friend and sees his eyes.

"Oh, dude, your eyes."

"What about them?"

"They're starting to glow."

"You mean like right now?"

"Yes, right now." he looks around to try to see it someone is looking at them. He looks back at his friend, "Thomas, stop. Stop it!"

Thomas starts panting, trying to make his eyes stop glowing, shaking his head a few times but with no success.

"I-I can't- I can't control it."

Minho curses under his breath, "All right, just keep your head down."

And he makes Thomas keep his head down with an arm around his shoulders and starts guiding him through the hall with multiple eyes on them and to some place where no one can see him. Minho managed to get him into an empty classroom, the Asian male shutting the door behind them. Thomas dropped his backpack and took off his plaid over-shirt, staying only in his black tank top. His breathing was heavy, and his heartbeat was both heavy and rapid. He even started to growl.

"Thomas," Minho tried walking towards him.

Thomas held his hand out to stop him, "No! Get back!" he said, hunched over a desk.

"Thomas, it's okay-

"I don't know what's gonna happen," he said barring his fangs, "Get back!"

He stood up straight, facing Minho. He held his hands up, clenching his clawed hands into fists; digging his claws into the palms of his hands until blood dripped down his arms and splattered his shoes. He grunted in pain and growled, eyes glowing yellow and barring his fangs. He continued to growl and all Minho could do was stand back and watch.

Slowly, Thomas lowered himself to the ground. His heart beat was beginning to steady again, and he opened his eyes to show that they had returned to their normal color. His hands were covered in his own blood, but the claws were gone. The brunet leaned against a desk for support as Minho crouched down next to him.

"Pain makes you human." he said in a shaky voice as an answer to the unasked question.

Moments later the door opened and the two of them had a mini-heart attack before they saw Aris entering the classroom, closing the door behind him.

"What the hell, guys?! That last growl could be heard from the hallway. You were lucky I was the only one near enough to hear it before someone thought that a wild animal got into school." he approaches the two of them, "So, what happened?"

"Thomas kind of freaked out."

"Why?" he asks looking at Thomas.

"It was nothing. I'm fine now."

"Okay, next question: why does your father hates witches?"

Thomas frowns, "He doesn't hate witches."

"Ok, let me put it different: Why does your father doesn't like me?"

"I don't think that's it. Maybe it has to do with the little 50 Shades of Grey act you made him think my friends are interested in."

Aris holds his hands up in defense, "I was joking! _Geez!_ "

The door opens again and this time it's Gally who enters the classroom but stays over the door.

"Hey, did you miss me earlier?" Aris asks.

"With every bullet so far." Gally deadpans.

"We should go before more people comes into the classroom and wonders what we are doing." Minho says as he picks up Thomas' backpack from the floor.

Thomas also gets up, now totally calmed, and grabs his backpack from Minho, thanking him. The four of them exit the classroom and go to their next class.

 

* * *

 

At the sheriff's station, Vince was over his office when a knock on his open door made him look up and at the door where the sheriff was standing. Shit, this was not good.

"Ok, time's up. I told you I needed that file whether you were ready or not. Now, do you know what killed those four people or should I ask the FBI?"

"No, sir." he waits for a moment, thinking about something before he opens his mouth, "It was an Ambystoma anatinus."

"An Ambis- toana _what_? Ambystoma anatinus?"

Vince looks nervous for a moment, "Yeah. They're pretty big... and fierce."

The sheriff had an incredulous face. He's not buying it. Damn. In that moment Alec enters the office,

"Sorry to interrupt. Is it a bad moment?"

"No, not at all. Vince was just telling me that the creature responsible for the murders was an Ambystoma anatinus... right?" he asked to Vince to see if he had said it right.

"Really? An Ambystoma anatinus was here on Beacon Hills?" Alec said with surprise. Both the sheriff and Vince looked at him taken back, but for different reasons.

The sheriff cleared his throat, "You, um, you know about them?"

"Sure I do. I think there were some where I used to live. Haven't you heard of them?"

"No, no- Of course I have. I-I was just surprised to know there was one here, that's all."

"Right?" Vince wanted to laugh so bad, but he managed to contain it. Alec continued, "But it's a relief they're gone because of the weather/season, right, Vince?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure. We don't have to worry about them anymore."

"...Because they're gone?"

"Aha,"

"Because of the season/weather."

"Right."

"And they're gone to hibernate or something..."

Alec gave him a smile, "You sure know a lot about Ambystoma anatinus, sheriff."

The sheriff smiled flattered, batting a hand at the young man as he said 'just some stuff', so proud of himself and acting embarrassed. God, Vince was gripping his hand so tight so he wouldn't laugh. The sheriff walked back to the door and exited the office seemingly satisfied, head high. After he left, Vince looked at the younger brunet,

"I don't know what made you go along with me, or if you just wanted to mess with the sheriff but... thanks. Really."

Alec gives him a shrugs as if it had been nothing. "If you had to lie to the sheriff about something like this, it has to be a good reason for it. Besides, I'll always stand by you, boss."

"I'm not the boss anymore, you know that."

"I know. But to me you will always be the boss."

Vince smiled, nodding at the younger man. He was a good kid, always smiling even though all the things he saw almost every day. If he were the sheriff he would give him a raise.

As the sheriff was walking towards his office, he saw Agent Stark walking towards Vince's office and he approached him.

"Oh, agent Stark." the other turns to look at him, "I'm glad to inform you that the creature responsible for the murders has been identified as a Ambystoma anatinus, and that thankfully it has gone away. This case is now closed as an _'animal attack'_ , so you can tell your superiors that."

Dick frowns confused, "A Ambystoma anatinus?"

"Yeah, never heard of them?"

"Not actually."

The sheriff pats his shoulder, "Ahh, the youth." and walks away.

Dick stays in his place, a frown on his face.

 

* * *

 

After school day came to an end, Thomas had his stuff in his backpack already and was walking from the last classroom on the first floor to get to the main door. He took his phone out to check the text he received during last class.

 

**_'Come home right after school. More training.' -Dad._ **

 

Thomas groans. It's great that his dad is here and wants to spend some time with him but couldn't he just take him out for a pizza? Turning the corner he found Newt sitting over the empty stairs, looking at his hands.

"Oh, hey."

Once the blond witch knew he wasn't alone anymore, he raised his head and their eyes met. Newt offers him a smile, "Hey,"

"What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for my mom to come pick me up. I didn't want to wait outside, so..."

Thomas nods. They don't say anything else. God, it was so awkward.

"How is it going with your dad?" Newt asks.

"Cool. He's, uh, teaching me how to, you know, be a good werewolf or something along that."

Newt half-smiles, "I'm glad."

Thomas looks up at the clock hanging over the top of the stairs. His dad knows at what time he gets out of school and how long to get to his house. He wants to stay more and talk with Newt while he still has the chance. Newt seemed to notice he was in a hurry as he spoke again.

"Are you busy?"

"I, uh... Yeah."

"It's okay. I get it. We talk later?"

Thomas nods, turning his head to look over his shoulder at the door and then back at Newt, who isn't looking at him.

"I'm sorry about before." by the face Newt makes it seems he doesn't know what he's referring to. "Before before? When I did that... thing in the hallway?"

Newt opens his mouth, seemingly having understood, and he plays it cool. He shakes his head, "It's fine. Totally okay."

"I didn't mean to make things awkward. Or weird." Thomas stares at him, for a moment looking at the floor. "Really. I'm sorry."

Newt just nods, mouth straight in a line. Thomas wanted him to say something, but he wouldn't press him. He gave the witch a small nod, and turned around. He walked towards the door as the blond saw him with a sad face.

After he leaves, Newt lets out a defeated sigh. He knew that the other didn't felt that way. _'He maybe just did it by inertia.'_ He sits there and looks down at his hands. He starts twisting his fingers and concentrating on his shoes that he almost misses the sound of the door opening again. He looks up as the door opens and Thomas appears again in sight, staring right at him as he starts walking towards Newt.

"You know what? I'm not sorry."

A blinding smile appears over Newt's face and he stands up in time for Thomas to put his hand over Newt's hips and lean forward for them to kiss. Newt's arms go around his neck, one hand cupping the back of the werewolf's head to deepen the kiss. God, it felt more wonderful than that time with the nymphs. Sure, that had been great. But this? This meant so much more. They separate a moment to smile at each other before going back to kissing.

 

* * *

 

Thomas was walking near the woods with a goofy smile on his face. After kissing Newt, the blond had to go to his house but he told him they would talk tomorrow. Thomas couldn't wait for tomorrow to come. As he continued walking, a terrified scream coming from the woods brought him out of his thoughts.

**_"THOMAS!"_ **

He heard Newt's voice yelling for him. Newt's voice yelling for his in distress.

"Newt?" he yelled back but no response came. _"Newt?!"_ he starts jogging into the woods and looking around, his heart beating fast. He didn't seem to catch the blond's scent. "Newt?! _Newt!_ " he starts running without noticing.

When he left him he was fine! What could possibly happen?! He continues running, trying to catch a scent, a heartbeat, anything.

**_"THOMAS!"_ **

He turns his head to the left where the sound was coming and runs to that direction. His heart kept beating hard and fast against his chest but he wasn't listening to it. He gets to a stop once he sees his father standing a few steps away from him, holding a jar with a blue gas in it in one hand. The tall man pulls up the lid with his thumb and a little of the blue gas comes out.

 ** _"THOMAS!"_** Newt's voice comes out of the jar, and Thomas realizes that the blond was never in danger.

His dad puts down the lid and stares at him, "You told me it wouldn't interfere with your training."

"It doesn't."

His dad raises an eyebrow.

"He's my friend! What do you want me to do? Ignore his screams for help?!"

"If he's going to get you killed then yes."

"Would you ignore one of yours?"

His dad didn't move an inch. Thomas stared at his dad but the man didn't make a move. Steve then turned around, his back at his son.

"Go home, Thomas. Tomorrow we'll continue with the training."

Thomas stays there as he watches his dad walk away in the woods until he can't catch his scent. His heart was still beating fast after hearing the blond scream and he was sure his dad had noticed too.

 

* * *

 

Over the parking lot of the sheriff's station, Agent Stark was inside his car, dialing a number on his phone and waiting for the other person to pick up,

"Boss. Yeah, it's Stark." he takes a moment as he hears the man on the other side, "Yeah, the case is over but... I would like to ask for more time in here. No, nothing's wrong, sir. I just have a strange feeling about this town, and I would like to check it."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Newtmas is together now!


	3. Hear Me (I'm Cryin' Out)

Early in the morning, Thomas came out of the shower and changed clothes. There was a backpack on the feet of his bed and it was because today his class was going on a little trip. They were gonna visit an old town near Beacon Hills. And by near, he means like four hours of sitting on a bus. They were gonna spend a day and a half in the town and then go back to BH. Once with clothes and all ready, he grabbed his backpack and went to the door. As he stood in front of the door, he saw his shadow on the door like the other day but instead of seeing claws he saw his fingers. His hand was in normal state. He let out a sigh of relief and heard as Mary yelled from downstairs

_"Thomas, you up?"_

"Yeah!"

He opens the door and exits his room, closing the door behind him.

 

* * *

 

Over her house, Teresa had finished packing last night and she was ready. She finished brushing her teeth and went back to her room to put her toothbrush inside her suitcase. Just as she closed her suitcase again, her mom came inside her room, smiling at her.

"Hey, you ready?"

"Yep,"

"You have everything? Toothbrush, clean underwear, a good book, your earphones-"

Teresa smiles and grabs her mom's hands, "Mom, it'll be alright. It's just one day."

Her mom nods, "I know, sweetie. Call me when you get there." Teresa nods, "Don't forget your pills."

"I won't."

Her mom nods and exits her room. Teresa walks to her nightstand and picks up the pills bottle; she then walks back to her suitcase and puts the bottle inside. Securing her suitcase, she grabs it and exits her room.

 

* * *

 

Once they all arrived at the school where the big bus was, the teacher took assistance and when that was ready she started letting the students get into the bus. Thomas was the first of the pack to get into the bus and when he chose, he sat on the seat next to the aisle, that way he could control who sat on the one next to the window. And he knew who he wanted to sit beside him. Soon, a blond mop of hair appeared on the bus doors and he saw as Newt walked over the aisle, his eyes searching for an available seat. Thomas raised a hand and was about to shout for the blond when-

"Excuse me! Move, move! Best friend on his way!"

Suddenly Minho had somehow climbed over the seats and sat onto the one next to Thomas, hitting Thomas with his backpack.

"Minho, what the-

"You're welcome. I brought some snacks in this backpack." he said patting the backpack, "And you were mocking me when I told you I would bring some, _pff_."

As his best friend continued to be proud of his idea, Thomas turned to the aisle to where Newt had stopped walking. Newt gave him a smile that said 'next time' and continued down the aisle.

Teresa was sitting alone on the right side of the bus over the seat next to the window and was staring to the outside as the rest of the class entered the bus. As she continued to watch out of the window, something caught her attention. A dog -a Golden Retrieve to be precise- was walking far behind the students as they climbed the bus; as he was walking on his side, only half side could be seen. His golden fur shined with the sun and Teresa found herself smiling at the dog. As if having sensed that someone was staring at him, the dog stopped and turned to look at the bus but when he did Teresa stopped smiling. She was staring at the other half of the face of the dog... which was nothing like the other side. His right side showed the inside of his head, his fresh muscles, his tongue, his salivary gland and jugular. It looked like one of those anatomy models at the vet clinic. Teresa felt herself having a mini-panic attack when she feels a hand over her shoulder, startling her for a moment. She turned to the other side and saw Newt with his backpack,

"Can I sit here?"

"S-Sure." Teresa moves her suitcase to the ground in front of her to make Newt some space. Newt smiled and sat on the seat. Teresa then looked back to the window but didn't saw the dog. Maybe he left. Or maybe he wasn't there at all?

Over the back of the bus on the left side, Aris had sat on the seat next to the aisle, talking to a guy who had sat first on the seat when Gally approached them, holding his backpack with one hand over his shoulder. He was staring at the guy,

"Move." he told the guy sitting beside Aris.

"But I was here firs-

"Move."

The guy opened his mouth to say something else but he just gave up, letting out a sigh and went to stand up and left the seat in search for another one. Gally went back to look at the brunet witch, who looked back at him.

"If you want to sit here, you gotta give me something good." he said with a smirk.

Gally threw hard his backpack at the witch, which made Aris groan and he glared at the tall sandy blond, but it work. It made Aris move to the seat near the window, and so Gally sat on the one seat next to the aisle so he could keep an eye on the witch.

At the end the bus was complete, the teacher being the last one to climb aboard and that's how the pack were sitting: Thomas and Minho two rows on the back of the middle on the left side of the bus; Teresa and Newt in the middle (with the two best friends just two rows behind them) and on the right side of the bus; and finally Gally and Aris at the back of the bus on the left side.

The first hour went quickly. Some students were talking and laughing, others were listening music, and others were already sleeping. Thomas had eaten some of the snacks Minho brought, and right now was staring at where Newt was sitting. Both Teresa and Newt were reading a book, although they were different books. Since they kissed the other day -like two days ago- and Newt accepted to have a date they hadn't been able to be together. Yes, sure, they shared classes and sat together during lunch but still... It was the same as always. It was like before, and that's why Thomas had wanted Newt to sit with him, so they could at least be together during the trip.

Teresa looked over her seat and saw Thomas looking at Newt and an idea came to her mind. Thomas saw her standing up, passing in front of Newt to get out of her seat, and made her way to him.

"Hey," she says.

"Hey,"

"Do you wanna switch for a little? Being beside the window while reading kind of makes me dizzy."

Thomas knew what that meant. He smiled relieved, "God bless your soul."

And with that Thomas stood up, let Teresa sit on her seat, and went to Newt's side. Once he was standing beside Newt, the blond looked up from his book and their eyes met.

"Hey,"

Newt smiled, "Hey. You wanna sit?"

"Sure."

Thomas managed to pass and sat on the available seat on the window and more important, beside Newt. Instead of going back to his book -which was an Spell book now that he was looking at it closer-, Newt turned his body to him, like waiting for Thomas to say something. Oh, right. Thomas was the one who came here.

"So.... Um..."

"Talking wasn't always one of your best qualities, you know."

And like if a train had just struck him, Thomas remembered when they were in the Underworld, Thomas kneeling beside Newt who was lying on his back, a trail of blood coming out of his mouth and dripping to his chin.

_Newt manages to smile, blood over his teeth, "Talking wasn't a-always one of your best qualities, you know?"_

"Thomas?"

He didn't hear the blond calling for him; he was too busy in that image that he will always have tattoo on his mind. Newt lying with blood on his mouth. Newt trying to smile at him even though he was in so much pain. Newt lying still, eyes closed and no heart beat.

"Tommy?"

He then felt a warm hand grabbing his and he suddenly calmed down. He managed to look up and see Newt watching him with a worried look on his face.

"Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah, sorry. My mind was somewhere else."

Newt nodded but didn't let go of his hand. Thomas appreciated that.

 

* * *

 

Finally they arrived at the motel. The class climbed out of the bus and inside the motel. Minho had apparently slept the last two hours in the same position and he was complaining about his neck. Thomas patted his back in a way of comfort but in the inside he wanted to laugh. The teacher came to a stop and turned to them,

"Wait here while I go and check if they still have the rooms available." and with that she turned around and walked to the reception where a man was standing behind a desk.

As she was doing that, some students went straight to talking. Thomas turned to his side where he saw Newt talking to Aris. Patting Minho one more time, he left his friend and made his way to the witch.

"Oh, sure. Leave your best friend with a serious pain in search for your boo."

Minho saw as Thomas turned to him, still walking to Newt's direction, and shrugged. Then he went to stand beside Newt and touched his shoulder, having the blond's attention and soon the two of them were talking. Minho shook his head with a roll of his eyes. As he continued to rub his neck and silently complain about it, he faintly heard a couple's conversation from behind him,

"...I've heard they've been appearing in the town lately. Ghosts."

That caught Minho's attention. He frowned and turned to where the couple was. It were a tall, brunet man and a petite red headed woman.

"Really?" asks the woman.

"Yeah. A lot of people have seen them."

Minho decided to approach, raising his hand from his neck to talk, "Um, sorry to interrupt," the couple turns to look at him, "is that stuff about ghosts true?"

The man nods, "Yeah. I haven't seen anything, but that's what everyone says. They say that some ghosts have been appearing over the town for the last two weeks."

"Are you sure it's not just someone wanting to play a joke or a misunderstanding or something like that?" asks Minho.

The woman looked at him with a kind smile. "You sound like you're new here."

Minho smiled sheepishly, "Yeah,"

"Well, you'll see, this kind of things always happen. No ghosts but... strange things."

"Strange things?"

"Yeah. Some things disappear and then reappear somewhere else. Feeling a pair of eyes on your back but when you turn around there's no one. And even one time... a person disappeared."

"But that doesn't necessary include ghosts. It could be anything, not that I'm an expert in paranormal things," _'or supernatural things'_ , "but I think there's gotta be a logical explanation for everything."

"Yeah... You're right." she said with a smile and pointing behind Minho, "There's no way there could be a white hand on your arm. I must have been seeing things."

Opening both eyes wide, Minho turns to look over his shoulder in fear but doesn't find anything much to his relief. He sighs, letting out a chuckle for being played. "Haha, good one. Don't joke around like-

But as soon as he looks back at the front there's no one there. The couple had disappeared as if they hadn't been there to begin with. Minho stays in his place, eyes wide as he stares at the place the others had been standing. He feels a chill going down his spine.

"Hey, Min! You're going to get lost!" he heard Thomas' voice.

"Coming!" he yelled back and with that he ran back to the group, just as the teacher was coming back and guides them to the rooms.

At the end they all had been arranged in pairs. Thomas and Minho; Teresa with another girl; Gally and Aris; and Newt with another boy. Thomas growled as he saw the tall guy approach Newt and guide him to the room. Sure, he wouldn't be his roommate but at least Newt could have a different one. Someone who wouldn't try to jump him.

As if by magic -pun intended- Aris appeared beside him, "Do you want a way to secure that your crush's virginity will be intact 'till we get back to Beacon Hills?" he asked while raising his cuffed hand and wiggling his eyebrows.

 

* * *

 

Newt was inside the bathroom of his shared room, washing his hands and looking around. The floor seemed like it could need a cleaning once in a while, there were two towels in the metal holder, the sink was dirty and it was a surprise that there was liquid soap.

"Okay, I think this place could've been worse, right?" he asked his roommate as he came out of the bathroom but he saw the room was empty. As he frowned in confusion, the door opened and Aris appeared, peeking his head inside the room with a smile.

"Here's Johnny!"

As the lighter brunet entered the room, Newt asked "Where's Lucas?"

"Oh, he wanted to share with Gally." he said in a tone that Newt was sure it meant that it hadn't been the guy's idea. With that Aris went to the other bed and puts his suitcase over it, "Imagine his surprise when Gally comes out of the bathroom and finds another guy there, lying on the bed."

"He's not actually lying on the bed, right?"

"...Sure, why not."

Newt chuckles.

"Were you reading the spells I told you to read?" Aris asked as he sat on the bed.

"Yes,"

"Great, because as soon as we get back to Beacon Hills those will be the only spells you'll learn until you get them right."

"Okay, okay."

"And don't be a smartass with me. I recognize a smartass when I see one."

"Takes one to know one?"

Newt laughed as a pillow was thrown at his face, and he threw one of his own at Aris but soon his laughter died as he stared at the pillow.

"Are your pillows beige color too?"

"...That's not beige color."

Newt threw the pillow away in repulsion and said _'eww'_ as Aris chuckled.

 

* * *

 

After everyone left their backpacks and stuff over their rooms, they went back to the lobby to meet the teacher. Standing beside the teacher was another woman with a little bit more age, which turned out to be their guide. Two hours later and Thomas couldn't believe that this old town had many places to show. Turns out this town had been built over an ancient cemetery and the graves were relocated somewhere else. Way to creepy. But since the teacher was going to do a test about it, Thomas had to hear everything. The guide lady continued to show them around and occasionally someone would ask about something -usually something silly. Until Minho raised his hand, which surprised Thomas.

"Yes, boy?"

"Miss, is it true that... strange things happen in this town?"

"Like what?"

"Like ghosts?"

Everybody fell silent and turned back to look at the guide lady. The lady seemed to be shocked, but not about the question. She seemed shocked that someone had ask that question.

The lady nods, "...Yes. Since a few that kind of things started to happen."

"So this town... it involves the paranormal?" Marissa, the girl whom Teresa shared room, asked.

"Well, you'll see-

A bell rang loudly and startled everyone, also interrupting the lady.

The teacher quickly intervened, "Okay! This was fun! Why don't we go back, have some lunch and then continue?" she asked turning to the guide lady, who nodded, "Alright, guys. Let's go."

As the rest of the students followed back the teacher, the pack stayed at the back of the group. Thomas approached his best friend.

"Ghosts?"

"Yeah,"

"Okay. Seems fake but okay."

At that, Minho chuckles and nudges the brunet, who also chuckles and nudges him back. They went back to the motel to eat.

After eating, they went back for another two hours of tour. They were all exhausted, and the only thing that they wanted was to go back to the motel and rest. Of course, the teacher wanted them to be a little bit more enthusiastic about the history of the town and so another hour passed. Finally they arrived back at the motel, and everyone went back to their own rooms.

Over her room, Teresa had grabbed her clean clothes and her towel and went to the bathroom as her roommate, Marissa, was over her bed. Teresa heard her talking to her while she turned on the water.

"This place is awful. The room, the food, this bed. Please tell me that there's at least warm water."

Teresa exited the bathroom, "Yes, there is."

Marissa smiled, "Good! After you finish I'll take a long shower." she stands up from the bed, "While you shower, I'm going to ask for another towel 'cus there's only one. Be right back."

"Okay."

Marissa went out of the room, closing the door and leaving Teresa alone. The raven girl turned to the bathroom and entered it, closing the door behind her.

Thomas and Minho went to their room and at the same time they plopped down on their own bed, facing the ceiling.

"So..." started Minho, "You didn't have time alone with Newt, huh?"

Thomas turned his face to him, "Who told you-

"I was standing beside you as you made googly-eyes at him."

"Oh." he looked back at the ceiling. "Yeah. I mean, it's not that I want to be glued to him, because that would be too creepy."

"But?"

"But I want to be near him all time! And during this stupid trip we couldn't."

"You were together on our way here. And you can sit with him on our way back. That's something."

"Yeah, I know."

They stayed in silence once more. Minho was the one who this time turned his face to Thomas, "So... you and Newt?"

"There's no _'Newt and me'_."

"Yet." Thomas snorted. "What? He _did_ say he accepted having a date with you _AND_ he kissed you!"

"So?"

" _'So?'_?!" Minho threw him a pillow, "Once we get back to Beacon Hills you two can date, kiss, make love, get married, have babies, grow old and stuff!"

" _'And stuff'_?" Thomas asked, looking at the Asian male. "What follows after growing old together? Isn't it dying?"

"Or elderly sex!"

Thomas threw back the pillow Minho had originally thrown at him and they both laughed. As they laughed, Thomas silently thanked his best friend for that. He was calmer now.

Teresa was peacefully showering back at her room. The warm water -who would've thought they did have warm water?- fell over her hair and body, and it relaxed her. Her hands roamed over her body, massaging her neck and then her shoulder blades. She was washing her arms when she heard a strange noise outside of the bathroom, making her stop all movement.

"Hello?"

No one answered. She poked her head out through the curtain and looked around the room. There was no one there and the door was closed, but she swears she heard something. Opting for checking what had been that noise, she grabs her towel and wraps it over her body, covering herself as she steps out of the shower, the water still running. She walks towards the door and opens it, poking her head out and looking around the room. It was empty. Marissa hadn't come back yet. She exited the bathroom,

"Hello?"

And called out again but there's only silence. Entering the bathroom again, she closes the door confused. She turns her head and sees her reflection in mirror of the wall cabinet. That's when she notices that the cabinet is slightly open. Slowly she reaches out and pulls open the cabinet, taking a look inside. Everything seemed normal. She sighed and went to close it; as it closed with a thud, she saw her own reflection and got startled by it. Putting a hand over her chest she sighed. Maybe she was going crazy.

Turning around to continue her shower, she finds herself with someone standing in front of her, covered in dirt and blood; they open their eyes and stare right at her. Teresa opens her mouth and lets out a horrified screeching scream.

Thomas and Minho continued to be lying on their backs on their beds when they heard Teresa's scream. They both shot their heads up and frowned, turning to look at each other.

"Teresa?" Minho asked.

No wasting more time, they jumped up from the bed and out of their room, running through the hall as some students opened their doors because of the scream. Thomas and Minho went to the room were Teresa was. Thomas yelled her name as he opened the door and went directly to the bathroom, finding it empty with the water still running. He looked around but there were no traces of the raven girl, nor that there had been someone else. As some students appear outside the door, wondering what was happening, Thomas takes a step forward and sees the towel over the floor, right in front of the wall cabinet. He frowns. What the-

"Thomas."

He turns to look at Minho, who in return looks behind himself at the completely open window in the bathroom. The only way out besides the door.

 

* * *

 

After calling the police, the teacher had two officers taking her statement in the lobby while the students where over the reception, talking with each other about what had happened. While sitting with the pack, Thomas turned his head towards the three adults and heard their conversation.

The teacher had her arms crossed over her chest as the two officers looked at her, "One of my students... I don't know, disappeared." she looks at the side, biting her lips, "I'm not sure what happened. Some of my students heard her screaming before she disappeared, so..."

"And this girl, Teresa Wilde, is not the type to run away like that?" the tallest of the officers asked.

The teacher shook her head, "No, no. Well, I mean, not at school at least. I don't know how she behaves in her house."

"They're making her look like a nutjob." Thomas says as he turns to the pack.

"Well, screaming bloody murder and then running away naked in the middle of the night isn't exactly sane." Aris says.

"What could possibly happen?" asks Newt. "Do you think someone took her?"

Gally snorted, "Naked? With a motel full of students? No, I don't think so."

"So what? She just decided to leave?" retorts Minho.

"That's not what I said."

Minho rolls his eyes and turns to the other side, arms crossed. Newt approaches Thomas, who turned back to hear the officer's talking. He puts a hand over the brunet's shoulder,

"Thomas, you should call Vince."

"No need. They're already calling him... And her parents."

And indeed they called Teresa's mom, Emily, and she practically teleported herself to the town. It took her barely three hours to arrive and the first thing she did was go straight to the teacher,

"What happened? How did my daughter disappear? Weren't you supposed to watch over her?!"

"Calm down, ma'am." one officer said, "We've already ask her what she knows. We're gonna find your daughter, don't worry."

Emily sighed and her eyes caught the sight of Thomas and the pack. She walked towards them, more specifically to the brunet.

"You're one of her friends, right? The ones she's been hanging out with lately?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm Thomas."

"You don't know what happened to my daughter?"

He shook his head, "No, I'm afraid no. We weren't there, we just..." he doesn't know if he should tell her. How would she react?

"You just what?"

"We heard her scream." Gally said.

Thomas smelled the fermented, tart scent that the raven woman gave off.

_Sadness._

Thomas wanted to say something to cheer her up, but he knew that whatever he told her right now wouldn't matter. A _'she's going to be okay'_ won't bring her back. A _'they're going to find her'_ won't make it easier. So he didn't say anything. They drove the whole class back to Beacon Hills that night. All of the students got to be home with their parents except one raven girl with blue eyes.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Thomas and Minho went to Teresa's house in case something came up or her parents had news. Teresa's dad and Emily's ex-husband Andrew was who opened the door to the house. Why was he there if he didn't lived there they didn't ask. It would be rude. He was obviously there because Teresa was his daughter as well. The two teens sat over the kitchen table while Andrew stood near the fridge, leaning against it.

"No news?" Minho asked.

The man shook his head, "No. We spent the whole night watching over the phone in case they call us but nothing. Emily went to talk to the Police station about Teresa; she'll be gone for hours."

 _"Get your hands off me!"_ they heard a female voice coming from outside of the house, over the entrance. _"Your authority stops at my property line!"_ Andrew goes towards the main door and opens it, finding Emily being restrained by two male officers. She has her clothes wrinkled and disheveled hair.

They let her go and Emily puts a strand of hair behind her ear, huffs and enters the house. Andrew turns to the police officers, "What did she do?" he asks, Emily behind him.

"She completely destroyed an office, made explicit threats against the United States, attacked my groinage region and captured same." Andrew groans and covers his face. Only this woman. The officer who spoke approaches him, "Sir, if she comes within 500 feet of my perimeter I've been given the authority to engage." Andrew nods as the two police officers leave.

"What happened?" asks Thomas as Andrew closes the door.

The raven woman turns to him. "I'll tell you what happened." she begins walking towards him like a lion does to its prey. Or in this case, a lioness. "I told them how my underage daughter disappeared out of nowhere on a school trip, how nobody has heard or seen her in about 15 hours and you know what they said? They said we need to wait 24 hours for her to be 'officially disappeared' so they can start looking for her!" she goes to the kitchen, _"24 HOURS!"_

Andrew walks towards her and grabs her left hand, trying to calm her and get her to open her hand now made fist, "Honey, you know you're gonna lose a nail inside your palm. Just calm down and let the police-

Emily turns looking furious at him, "I don't trust the police, which means this family has to find her, and there's not much family in here, which means I have to find her." the man manages to open her hand and three medals fall from it and to the table.

Andrew frowns and grabs the medals on the table, "Two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star?" he looks at the woman.

"And that FBI agent blubbered like a baby." Emily says crossing her arms.

Minho and Thomas shared looks. Wow, this woman was intense.

"Maybe we can help." Minho said.

Thomas, and Teresa's parents turned to look at him. Thomas was yelling with his eyes. _'He better not be thinking in telling them about what I think he is.'_

Minho glanced at Thomas and back at the parents, "We can go and search in the woods. We've done that in the woods of here, so..."

Emily offered him a smile, "I really appreciate that, but you aren't actually encouraging us to send two teens to the woods they don't even know in a town they don't know that well, alone, in search for our daughter when there's a chance you'll get lost too, right?"

Minho looked at his lap. She was right. They wouldn't expose them like that.

"Thank you so much for your support. Maybe you should go to your houses. I bet your parents might be worried."

Although they wanted to stay and offer comfort to the two adults, by the way Minho spoke, Thomas thought he might have an idea. As soon as they were out of the Wilde residence, the Asian male went directly to the other direction, not to the one where his house was. Thomas followed.

"You're not going to your house, are you?"

"Nope,"

"You're going to Aris' mansion."

"Yep,"

Thomas nods, "Okay, I'll meet you there. I just need to go to my house for something."

"Okay,"

The two of them did their patented shake that they came up when they were little and went different ways. Instead of going to his house, Thomas went to the sheriff's station. He entered the building and was walking towards Vince's office when he found Alec holding a black thermos, sitting over a desk when the brunet teen approached him.

"Hey,"

Alec turned to him and smiled, "Hi, Thomas. How are you?"

 _'With one of my friends missing?'_ "I'm fine." he saw Vince's empty office, "Vince's still there?"

Alec followed his eyes, "Yeah, they might have a police station in that town, but they don't have enough personnel."

"Why didn't you go with him?"

"Because there's no body. I can't help them."

Thomas grimaced. He knows how that feels like. He looked around and saw an FBI agent and something came to his mind, "I heard Miss Wilde attacked an FBI agent."

Alec smiles, "Yeah. He made a comment about that maybe Teresa ran away from her house and Miss Wilde heard him. She didn't like it."

Thomas snorts, "No shit."

"Go home, Thomas. I heard your dad is in town. You should spend time with him."

After saying that, Thomas had an idea. His eyes shined and he turned to the brunet scientist.

"Alec, you're a genius!" he yelled and then turned to the exit, running out of the building while leaving a confused brunet in the station.

 

* * *

 

This time Thomas went to his house. Mary was working, and his dad was over the dining room, sitting over the table wearing glasses with several papers in front of him. Maybe bills. Thomas approached his father, standing on the other side of the table, facing the older man. His dad raised his sight and met his,

"I know that look."

"I want you to help me track Teresa by scent."

His dad took off his glasses, "By scent?"

"Yeah. I know I can, I just... need someone to teach me how."

"You want to find your friend? Focus. Try to identify each scent in this room. Every person who had been in here for at least the last hour. What did they eat? Were they using perfume?"

"That sounds complicated."

"Yeah, well imagine tracking your friend's scent in the woods." he went back to look down at the bills. So it was a no?

_"Please."_

Steve didn't moved even after Thomas pleaded. Thomas was about to leave when his dad sighed. He stood up, leaving his glasses over the bills and Thomas knew he had won.

 

* * *

 

Over Aris and Gally's mansion the pack except Thomas were reunited over the dining room, trying to find a way to find Teresa but it was futile. None of the things they could think worked.

"Maybe a spell? Like a tracking spell?" Minho asked to the lighter brunet witch.

"I'll need something that belongs to Teresa for it to work."

Newt shook his head, "Her parents won't let us take anything. We would have to go to her room and it would be weird if we took something and didn't explain."

"And what about that thing you used to track Thomas when we met? The amulet, remember?"

"The amulet detects the type of supernatural you are looking for. Teresa is not a supernatural creature."

Minho groans, turning around and putting some space between them.

"And any other spell?" asks Newt.

"Maybe, but they will not be that powerful."

There was a knocking coming from the door, having everyone's attention. Gally went to the door and opened it, revealing Thomas standing behind the door. Since there was mountain ash over the entrance, the werewolf couldn't enter the mansion. Gally broke the line and Thomas entered, panting from having being practicing with his dad.

"You're late by almost four hours." is the first thing Minho tells him.

"I know how to find Teresa."

"But time is overrated these days. How can we find her?"

"By scent."

Minho blinks several times, "By scent? Thomas, this is a woods we're talking about, not my backyard."

"That's why I was late. My dad taught me how. I just need something of hers and that'll be all."

They all huff in defeat after hearing that. Thomas didn't know why.

"What? What's the matter?"

Gally explains, "It won't work. We can't grab something from her room without her parents knowing, so there it goes the plan."

"Maybe it's not over." Aris says out of the nothing.

"What, do you have something of hers?" asks Minho.

"No... But the police might have something." they all frown in confusion, "For the search dogs to find her scent. And good thing we have our own search dog." he says turning to look at Thomas.

 

* * *

 

They drove all the way to the other town as there were the officers and the search dogs. They spent the morning and the afternoon searching for the raven girl but with no success. While the officers were busy with something else -a lead, according to what Thomas heard-, Thomas approached where they kept one of Teresa's shirts. He grabbed the evidence bag from the table but in that moment the dogs started growling at him. To keep them quiet so no officers came, he glowed his eyes and growled back at them. The dogs whined, tail between their legs. Thomas grinned and went to grab the shirt and got away to where the pack was.

Once he arrived with them, he opened the bag and held the shirt. He looked at his friends.

Minho nods at him, "Okay, do it. We'll be watching in case something happens."

Thomas nods. He turns to look at Newt, who grimaces and nods. Thomas turns to the direction of the woods and runs, disappearing into the bushes.

Thomas brought the shirt to his nose and closing his eyes he inhaled deep. As he inhaled he tried to concentrate on the scent of the shirt and tried to search it through the woods but the problem was that there were others scents in the woods that were blocking Teresa's scent. Eitherways he continued. He stopped once his nose told him to turn to the other way, and then back to the way he was originally going. The wind wasn't really helpful. He tried to remember how his dad taught him. He calmed down, took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He heard the wind blowing, moving the branches and leaves; he heard the birds chirping and flying away. He could smell that coffee with a drop of vanilla scent. Teresa.

He opened his eyes and went back to running, this time following the scent. He was so glad that he managed to get the scent once more. The only thing he didn't wanted to smell was blood. That would mean that Teresa was hurt, or worse. He didn't want to think about that; he shook his head and continues running. He's been running for more than fifteen minutes and he lost the scent again. But he was so sure...

Maybe he's not a good werewolf after all.

He's still running while his head is doing jumps and flips when his nose catches a familiar scent. He drops the shirt to the ground and stops; he looks around, trying to figure out where did that scent came from. Turning his head back, he runs to that direction, claws out in case there was danger. His heart was beating so fast and hard that it was a miracle he could still hear the woods around him and his own thoughts. There was a big pile of rocks just a few meters away from him but he didn't stopped; he ran faster and, using them as trampoline, jumped high over them, landing on both feet. Not wasting any more time he continued running until he saw someone at the distance, sitting with their back at him. From where he was he could tell they were naked and had long black hair. It was messy and had dried leaves over it. It was Teresa; he knew it. Blinking once, his eyes turn back to normal as he opens his mouth,

"Teresa?"

He sees the stance of that person change. Slowly, -still sitting- she turns her torso at his direction, her arms -in front of her- and her hair covering her breasts. Her head turns to look at him at the same time her torso does and Thomas has a good look at her face.

Teresa's eyes were red and glassy; she had been crying. Her skin -at least her face and torso, which were the parts he could see- seemed dirty, but of course you would look earthy if you stayed in the woods for almost a whole day. Thomas was right; her hair had dried leaves sticking out of it. Her face had small cuts, trail of tears down her dirty cheeks, her mouth slightly open as she breathes out in relief. Her lips tremble as from her mouth comes out a broken:

"Thomas..."

 

* * *

 

Back at motel, the police officers had been surprised that Thomas found Teresa and alive. He gave her his shirt so she could cover her naked body as they returned to the motel where everyone was. Since she was weak, he offered to carry her on his back. Once they were getting closer, the search dogs started barking and that had the officer's attention. They turned to the bushes and saw Thomas get out from there shirtless; behind him Teresa stayed behind the bushes as Thomas' shirt couldn't cover her body completely and she just peek her head out. Officers and two paramedics ran to them, and they pulled Thomas aside and covered Teresa with a blanket. They immediately called for her parents. Although Vince reprimanded him for going to the woods alone, he was happy that he found Teresa and that they both were fine.

Once the paramedics checked that she was alright -although she was a little hypothermic-, her parents arrived at the scene, not even bothering to park their car as they ran to hug their daughter while in the ambulance. Thomas and the pack watched as her mom kept kissing her forehead, her temple, even her nose once. Her dad was hugging her sideways, his hand cradling the back of her head like when holding a baby. They were both so relieved their daughter was back and safe.

One of the paramedics approaches Thomas and pats on his back, "You did well, boy. Another night in the woods and she would have hypothermia."

Thomas nods as the paramedic turned around and went back to ambulance. Minho nudges him,

"Well done, bro. Good thing the officers haven't ask you how in the world you were able to find her when the search dogs couldn't."

Thomas freezes.

"You didn't thought about that, huh?" his best friend mocks.

"...Maybe we should leave before that happens."

They're about to leave when Newt speaks, still standing in the same place, "There's still one thing I don't get." they turn to him. Newt turns so he's facing them with a confused look, "Why did Teresa ran away?"

The pack realizes that indeed, they still didn't know. They all turn to watch as Teresa is taken in the back of the ambulance -just to check her once more before sending her home- with her parents following the ambulance in their cars. Teresa was looking out of the ambulance and at the woods with a difficult look to decipher. The ambulance's doors closed but Teresa didn't stop looking at the woods.


	4. Bad Moon Rising

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't update the chapter yesterday! My internet died and I had to wait until an hour ago to get it back! Anyways, here's the chapter and I really hope you enjoy it!

Teresa was still running, faster and faster each time through the woods. Her legs hurt, her heart was pounding in her ears, and her sight was blurry but she couldn't stop now. Not now that everything was falling apart. Her mind was full of thoughts and she just wanted to shut them up. Teresa looked back for a moment as if someone were following her, all her problems behind her just for a moment, nothing else matter. Suddenly, when she turned around, she almost tripped if not for Thomas, who appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her by the waist. She found herself glued to his body, her hands clutching his shirt as she tried to recover her breath and the brunet simply waited for her. Teresa raises her head up to look at him with those shiny blue eyes and her mouth agape and a look like a kicked puppy but didn't say anything. Thomas let her forehead rest against his cheek as she calmed down, one of his hands going to caress her back in comfort.

Back at Thomas' house, Teresa was sitting over the brunet's bed when Thomas entered his room with a mug of chamomile tea for the raven girl. He closed the door and approached the bed, giving Teresa the tea.

The raven girl smiles softly and grabs the mug, "Thanks," she inhales the aroma but doesn't take a sip from the tea. They stay in silence for almost two minutes before Teresa decides to speak, "You aren't going to ask me why I was running in the woods?"

"Not until you want to tell me. I can wait."

Teresa grimaces and looks at her tea. Thomas waits and looks down at his hands on his lap.

"Everything..." Thomas looks up, "Everything is so... messed up. At school, everyone stares at me in the hallways. Even some teachers do. My mom..." she huffs, "My mom thinks I should go and see a psychiatrist. I mean, I saw one when I started having problems to sleep but that was long ago, and I won't take any more meds, I just can't-

"Teresa, it's going to be alright." she doesn't seem to believe, 'cus she opens her mouth and is about to start rambling again when Thomas grabs one of her hands, "Teresa," and makes her look at him, "I promise."

She stares at him for a moment without saying anything and nods. She wants to believe that. She wants to believe him. Thomas comes downstairs a few minutes later and goes to the dining room where Newt is waiting, sitting over the table. The blond turns when he notices the brunet approaching him, and he stands up.

"How is she?" Newt asks.

"Sleeping. Finally in calm."

Newt sighs, "I feel so bad for her."

"Me too."

"She doesn't deserve the looks at school. They look at her as if she was a psychiatric patient who just escaped."

"I know, but it'll all work out just fine. She's not alone; she has us."

Newt nods, knowing that the brunet is right. Thomas really hopes he's right, though. He would defend his friends 'till his last breath, and he didn't like seeing any one of his friends sad, hurt or alone. That's why they call it a pack. They're in this together, for better or worse.

"So... About that date." Newt's voice brings him out of his thoughts.

Thomas' interest is now in another thing. He stares into Newt's eyes and listens carefully in case he says something important. Who is he kidding? He'll always listen to whatever the witch has to say.

"Are you free this Thursday?"

"For you, I'll always be free on Thursdays."

Newt smiles and it makes Thomas want to kiss him, but no. _Control yourself! You're not an animal..._

_Aren't you?_

Thomas shakes that thought and smiles back. He got himself a date on Thursday.

 

* * *

 

Some religious being or supernatural thing must really hate him. It turns out that there's a full moon coming soon -Thomas' second full moon- and it's on Thursday. He tries not to pout about the fact that he might not be able to go out with Newt. It's not fair! He managed to control himself on his first full moon, and the first one is supposed to be like the most difficult... right? So if he could control himself on the first one, he'll have no problem with this one.

Who is he kidding? He escaped the last one and almost hurt Newt. He should definitely not go out on Thursday!

But if he cancels just after he told him yes, when will he have another chance to go out with Newt on a date and see if they should become a thing? Why is he over thinking things? Maybe he's right and nothing will happen. He's mature enough to know that if he feels control slipping away from him to stop the date and go back home.

He just hopes his dad and his godparents think the same.

 

* * *

 

The next day at school Thomas is walking over the hallways, the next class about to start when he sees Teresa standing over the lockers, staring at the doors but not opening any of them. Her locker isn't even there. Frowning, he approaches the raven girl, who doesn't even turn to acknowledge him.

He glances at the lockers and back at her, "Teresa?"

Still looking at the lockers, she hums, "Mm?"

"...Is everything okay?"

"Yes. Why?"

"So what are you doing?"

She turns around to face him, but she seems distant. "Nothing. I gotta get to class." she doesn't meet his eyes and walks past him, walking over the hall and towards her class.

Thomas watches her leave and soon feels his best friend's scent standing beside him.

"What's with Teresa?" he asks to Minho.

"Apparently her mom took her to the psychiatrist yesterday, who made her take some pills and now she's like that."

"Will she be okay?"

"Who knows. At least no one's talking about her."

Thomas takes a look around and sees that nobody is watching where Teresa is walking; they all are in their own conversations. That's good... right? "...Yeah."

Over the second floor of the school, Aris and Newt are walking together to their next class. As they are walking, the lighter brunet is speaking,

"Now, I know that we need to discuss this week's work, but we need to talk about something that's far more important."

"What could be more important than our grades?"

Aris stops walking and turns to Newt, "Your magic."

Newt stops walking too, and stares at the lighter brunet.

"There's still that thing with the flask on Chemistry-

"I thought you said we should forget about it."

"Yeah, well, I lied." he says as if it weren't a surprise, "You can't just ignore something like that and hope it goes away. This is your magic we're talking about, Newt." they enter their classroom and sit on their seats.

"Yeah, well you haven't been much help either."

"What?"

"You're always saying that you're gonna help me. That you're gonna teach me how to control my magic but you just make me move things the size of a cell phone or a book." he looks around, making sure no one is hearing, "I know I'm a novice in all this, but I really want to learn more about my magic. I want to be able to stand up for myself, to not need anyone coming to save me."

Aris stares at him. Before he can say anything, the teacher enters the classroom and starts telling them to take out their books.

 

* * *

 

Their next class, Minho and Thomas were waiting for the teacher to come back with some papers she forgot. The rest of the class are talking with each other, or just staring at the nothing. While Minho is looking around the classroom boring, Thomas was staring at his book -not reading, just staring-, and without himself noticing it, he starts tapping his pencil at the book and kicking the floor too. Minho does notice.

Minho turns to Thomas and lets out a sigh, "Okay. Spill."

Thomas, brought out of his thoughts, turns to his best friend. "What?"

"Don't _'what?'_ me. There's something bothering you. Tell me."

"No, no. It's not... It's not a bother. Actually," he smiles, "it's far from a bother."

"I know that smile. Is your _'Newt just did something and here I am, smiling like a complete goof'_."

"I have a date with him."

Minho smiles and pats him on the back, "Good for you, Thomas! When's the happy occasion?"

"This Thursday."

Minho stops smiling, "Dude, there's full moon this Thursday!"

Thomas, surprised that his friend knew, looks at him with wide eyes, "How do you know?!"

"What kind of best friend would I be if I don't know when each full moon begins?" Thomas groans, "Thomas, you can't-

"Please don't say _'you can't go'_." Minho gives him a look, "I really want to go! Besides, nothing will happen."

"You can't assure me that as much as you can assure yourself that."

 _'Touché.'_ thought Thomas.

"But I guess I know you that much to know that you will ignore everything I say and still go out with Newt."

Thomas smiles guilty. Minho sighs.

"Okay. What can I help you with?"

"I already told Vince I had a date and asked him for the car. Vince said yes, but I didn't tell him which day. I just... I won't tell him which day is the date; I'll just take the car and go to the date. That's not lying... Right?"

"Noo..." _'no?'_  Thomas asks as his friend shakes his head, "No, just like if you stare at a little kid's photo for too long, it doesn't make you a bad person, it just makes you a borderline pedophile."

Thomas groans. He knows Minho is right: he can't lie/fool his godparents.

"I just... I have to convince Vince or Mary to let me go out."

"How are you going to do that?"

"Like any godson would do."

Minho frowns in confusion, "You don't have that much money."

"No! Not money, Min! I'm going to act all good-boy and helpful and all that."

" _Ahh..._ " he grins and points at his friend, having understanding the plan; Thomas nods and points back at him. The teacher comes back and the class starts.

Two classes away from the best friends, Gally was sitting on his seat, trying to pay attention to whatever Mr. Fitz was explaining. Half class was asleep, so maybe it wasn't really that important. As he's nodding off, he feels his phone vibrating inside his jeans pocket, so he takes it out to answer without the teacher noticing.

"Hello?"

 _"What are you wearing?"_ came Aris' voice from the other line and Gally had to resist to roll his eyes.

"What do you want, Aris? I'm in the middle of class." the guy in front of him snored, but nobody noticed.

_"Right. So, Newt is coming to the house since he needs to practice his magic."_

"Okay. At what time is he coming?"

_"We're arriving right now."_

Gally frowns, "Arriving? But how, I have the-" he stops for a moment and then quickly grabs his backpack and checks inside for the car keys. When he doesn't find them he grabs his phone again, "You took my keys?!" he doesn't yell but his tone says that he's not happy at all.

 _"Ta-da!~"_ and the line dies.

Gally stares at his phone with his mouth open in anger. _'Oh, you just wait 'till I get home and you're gonna be in so many troubles.'_

 

* * *

 

Over the sheriff's station, Alec was walking towards the room with the coffee machine -he left his thermo over the table- and wanted to retrieve it. The sheriff had left with two deputies for a 'breaking in' of a house, and so he could relax a little. He turns around the corner to where the coffee machine was and sees Agent Stark looking around the room, as if he were inspecting the place. But all of the other agents left. What's he still doing here? He approaches the man.

"You're still here?" he asks although it shouldn't have sounded that rude. Alec notices the tone it came out and winces, "I'm sorry, that sounded-

The blond man shakes his head, "No, it's okay. I know what you meant." Alec smiles sheepishly, "No, you'll see. Even thought the case is closed, and it wasn't a serial killer or something like that, my boss asked me to check everything, and it might take awhile while the paperwork is in order." he takes out a small recorder machine from his pocket, "And so I'm going to record it so I won't miss anything. Don't worry, I won't intervene in your work."

"Okay." he walks to the coffee machine and turns to Dick, "You want one?"

"Yes, please."

Alec turns to the coffee machine and starts preparing the coffee. Dick looks around the place as he waits for his coffee; once it's ready, the brunet turns to him, holding his coffee with his left hand. Dick takes his coffee with a 'thank you' and takes a sip from it, but soon a frown appears on his face and he looks at the coffee with a disgusted look.

"What?"

"You call this coffee?" he takes his recorder out and presses play, "The coffee they have in here is watery and has a not-in-the-good-way bitter taste. Maybe that has something to do with their performance on the field." he stops recording.

"What? It's not. This one is really-

"Horrible. Right? That was the word you're looking for." he looks at the cup of coffee still on his hand, "What flavor is this? Vomit?"

"No. Morales picked it up because it tastes good and it's a good brand."

Dick starts recording, "Slightly delusional and will believe anything anyone tells him."

Alec grabs his hand holding the still rolling recorder and brings it closer, talking to it, "That is not true and I'm going to show you you are wrong." he lets go of his hand. He grabs the coffee Dick was drinking and takes a sip from it. The blond man waits and carefully looks at the other's expression. Soon Alec's lips go down and he furrowed his brow, "...Okay, it does taste like dirt." he adds with a small smile.

Alec is surprised to see that over the blond man's face, his lip goes up in a kind of smile. They stay like that when-

"It smells like coffee! I want some!"

Someone yells that startles the two men in the room. They turn and see as a deputy approaches them, holding a donuts box on both hands.

"Be a doll and pour me some coffee, will ya, Montgomery?"

Alec nods and he walks past Dick to get another clean cup for the coffee. Dick watches him leave and soon he leaves too.

 

* * *

 

After school came to an end, Thomas went to the hospital to bring lunch to Mary. He went to where he knew he would find her and indeed there she was, sitting behind the counter when Thomas approached her. Mary raised her sight as she saw someone walking towards her but she wasn't excepting seeing Thomas.

She smiles neither less, "Hi, honey. What are you doing here?"

Thomas opens his mouth but doesn't say anything. Instead, he holds up a paper bag which smelled like it had food inside. Mary looks at the bag over the counter and back to the brunet teen with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

"Is my beautiful, talented, and wonderful godson actually bringing me dinner?"

Thomas shrugs, "Thought you wouldn't mind skipping the cafeteria tonight." he said with a smile.

Mary smiles at him, "You are the most thoughtful, loving, most conniving" Thomas' smile falls, "little con artist ever." he makes an insulted face, "You are so not getting the car tomorrow night."

 _'How did she knew?!'_  "Whu-

"Vince told me." the brunet huffs, "It's full moon, Thomas. You are so not going out on a full moon."

"But I-

"No buts; you're not going out and that's it." she grabs the bag and gets up from her seat, walking away; she turns to smile at him, "Thank you for the lunch!" and she disappears in the corner.

Thomas sighs in defeat.

 

* * *

 

_"So no luck with having the car or going out tomorrow, huh?"_

Thomas groans.

It was night already and he was in his room, sitting over his chair with books over his desk, his homework already done. On the other line, Minho was finishing eating a sandwich while over his kitchen.

"No. Even when I went to see Vince at the station with two hamburgers and fries he said _'Mary told me you went and try to buy her with food. Nice try.'_ "

Minho snorts. _"So you wasted your money in vain?"_

"At least they got to eat." he makes the chair he's sitting on a little bit to the back, and raises his head to look at the ceiling. "Maybe I should just... tell Newt to change the day of the date."

_"Good call."_

"But I don't want to!" he whines.

 _"Maybe you should just escape and go to the date without their permission."_ he adds with a chuckle.

Something inside Thomas' head rings. "Maybe I should."

_"I was being sarcastic."_

"I wasn't."

 _"Thomas,"_ there's some rustling on the other side of the line -maybe he's moving around the kitchen, _"You can't possibly be talking seriously. There's full moon and you're still not able to control it."_

"I could the first one."

_"Yeah, before you escaped and almost hurt someone, remember?"_

"Minho-

_"No, Thomas. This isn't only murdering someone, it's suicide too! If someone sees you like that, they won't hesitate in shooting you!"_

"Okay, okay! I won't do it!"

His friend lets out a relieved sigh, _"Thanks."_

"I'll tell Newt tomorrow."

_"Thanks, buddy."_

"Yeah, yeah."

_"It's not like you're telling him you don't want to, but that you can't."_

"Yeah, I hope he thinks the same."

 

* * *

 

The next day at the morning over the mansion, Gally was over the kitchen having just finished his breakfast when he noticed that the lighter brunet hadn't come downstairs to have breakfast. Actually, he didn't even know if he was already awake. Going upstairs, he went to the witch's bedroom and knocked on the door before opening the door and finding Aris still on the bed. The lighter brunet turned so he was facing the tall blond over the door.

"Hurry up. I don't wanna be late because of you."

Aris rubs his eyes, "Sorry, I can't go to school today. I fractured my motivation."

"I'm going to fracture you something else if you don't pick your ass up and go downstairs to have breakfast."

"Oh, wow." Aris grins, still lying on his side and propping his head with his elbow resting over the bed, "I wonder what else does that tongue of yours do?"

"Lick my fingers to turn the pages of the Bible for sinners like you."

"I love it when you talk dirty to me."

Gally rolls his eyes and closes the door of the room to give Aris privacy to change clothes.

 

* * *

 

Over his house, Thomas had finished having breakfast and he went back to his room as he forgot his backpack on his desk's chair. He opened the door and went directly to his desk, finding his backpack and grabbing it. He was about to turn around and leave but his eyes caught his calendar over the wall. There on his calendar marked with a red circle was today. Thursday. His date with Newt. Also his second full moon.

_'Keep calm. Everything is going to work out just fine.'_

He nods to himself and exits his room. He's coming downstairs when he finds his dad standing at the bottom of the stairs, almost as if he were waiting for him.

"Oh, hey."

"Hey," his dad says. He nods at his backpack, "Going to school already?"

"Yeah. Minho wanted to check the homework before the teacher arrived, so..."

"Okay. Be careful."

Thomas nods and goes to the door but his dad's voice stops him.

"Listen, I know you had to go through your first full moon alone and it must have been hard, but this time you won't be alone 'cus I'm gonna be here for you."

_'I wasn't alone on my first full moon, though.'_

Thomas nods. "Okay."

Since his dad doesn't have anything else to tell him, he turns around and opens the door, leaving his house.

 

* * *

 

Minho was waiting for Thomas to arrive near the lockers. He looked at his wrist-watch and started tapping the floor with his feet in impatience. Two minutes later he saw Teresa walking past him, and he decided to follow the raven girl. She stopped over her locker but didn't bother to open it. Minho stood beside her,

"Hey, Teresa." the girl looks at him, "How you doing?"

"'m tired..."

"Yeah, I know that feeling."

"I don't want to enter the class."

"I know that feeling too."

Teresa manages to smile at that.

"You... want me to accompany you to your class?"

"Nahh, I'm fine." someone closes their locker and she gives a jump startled. She looks around as Minho frowns.

"Are you sure you're fine?"

She slowly turns to him, "...Yeah. See you later." without meeting his eyes -hers seemed lost- she turns around and walks to her class. Minho was going to call out for her but then he saw Thomas entering the school and he had his priorities straight, so he went after his best friend.

"Hey,"

Thomas turned to him, "Hey."

As they walked to the brunet's locker, Minho decided to ask, "So, did you told him?"

"Yeah..."

"And?"

"He said it was okay."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he said he get it."

"That's great, bro!" he says patting Thomas on the back, "See? I told you everything would work out!" They got to the brunet's locker and as Thomas took out his books, Minho spoke again. "So, as payment for my services..."

" _'Your services'_?" mocks Thomas,

"Did you do the History homework or no?"

Thomas rolls his eyes but takes a notebook out of his backpack and holds it to Minho. The Asian male grabs it with a grin,

"Thanks!"

And runs away from the lockers and to where they shared their class. Thomas rolled his eyes at his best friend's antics and continued taking his books out. Once he was finished, he was about to close is locker when he caught Newt's scent getting closer. He turned and saw as Newt approached him with a smile,

"Hey."

"Hey,"

"So... You're ready for our date tonight?"

Thomas looks into his eyes, "I look forward to it."

Newt smiled one of his beautiful smiles, "Okay. See you," he waves and went to his class.

Yes, he lied to Minho when he said he was going to cancel it and that he had done it already. He wasn't going to ruin this opportunity with Newt for something that might not be a big deal, okay? Besides, what Minho doesn't know won't hurt him.

He closes his locker and walks to his class.

 

* * *

 

School went faster than yesterday, Thomas noticed. How weird. Something you feel like school lasts an eternity and some others it's like you blinked and the day is over. Anyways, Thomas had managed to look a little sad because 'he wouldn't be able to have his date'. Minho didn't suspect anything. Good. Yes, he did felt like trash for lying to his best friend, but it's not like it's a big deal! After classes came to an end, Thomas went to the lockers and retrieved his stuff and put his books back where they should be.

Minho approached him, "So, since you're probably going to mop all day, you wanna come to my house and play some videogames and eat pizza?"

"Thanks, but I should better go to my house and stay there the whole night."

"Sure?" Thomas nods, "Good call. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah,"

They did their handshake and Minho left. Ugh, Thomas felt really bad for lying to Minho like that. He brought his hand to touch his dog-tags and felt like if they had given his a slight electric shock. He shook his head and left school too. He had to go to his house to keep up with the farce. If his dad, Vince or Mary suspected he was going out it would be over. He just had to wait a couple of hours before the time of the date began.

Thomas stayed in house for hours and acted like a good teenager. He ate, did his homework, took a shower. He was watching TV -more like he had the TV on but wasn't really paying attention to it; it was just part of his facade- when the alarm on his phone rang. He had 20 minutes before Newt went to Aris' mansion to pick him up. Yes, he asked the blond witch if he could go pick him there. Newt didn't ask why there and not his house. Thomas stood up from his bed, turned off the TV and grabbed a sport bag with clean clothes for the date and went out of his room. He casually went downstairs to the dining room where Vince was, sitting over the table with some papers and files over the table. Mary was at a night shift at the hospital and his dad had gone out for some reason -lucky Thomas- and told him he would be back for when the moon became harder to control. So he just had to go through Vince. He approached the man. Vince looked up from the files he had on his hands,

"Hey. Aris asked if I could go over his house and help him with something. You know, werewolf strength and stuff. He also said he wanted to... collect some of my hair as an ingredient. I won't be gone long."

Vince didn't seem to notice he was lying or that he was a little nervous. He nodded, "Okay. If something happens text me."

"Sure. Thanks."

Thomas bolted to the main door and didn't wait a second to run towards the mansion.

He got to the mansion and although it was a surprise to see him there without any notice, Thomas didn't told them why he was there. He changed clothes -a plain black shirt and dark denim jeans- and waited near the door. He was paying attention in case he heard the car, so Newt wouldn't have to come to the door for him... and so Aris and Gally didn't see him and wonder why he was there too. It was kind of awkward to just appear in someone's house without further notice and just... wait there without talking to the owners of the house. Gally was upstairs taking a shower, and Aris was over the kitchen, pouring something to drink as he was watching some movie over Netflix at his room. Thomas sat on the couch, looking at the door like a dog waiting for his owner to come back from work.

That's when he heard it: the car engine. He stood up and went to the door, yelling over his shoulder,

"Okay guys! This was fun, but I gotta go!"

Not really waiting for an answer he opened the door and exited the house, running towards where Newt was walking towards him. They both stop in front of each other at seeing the other. God dammit. How could the blond witch always look good? He was wearing a grey knit jumper ([x](https://www.reiss.com/downloads/Image/product/1146x1146/514135-22-3.jpg)) which made him look cute and tight denim jeans. His hair looked as beautiful as always. He was smiling as he raised his hand to slightly wave at Thomas,

"Hey,"

"...Wow." was what Thomas let out.

"What?"

"Nothing, you just look... Wow."

Newt smiled at his choice of words. He turned around and went to the car, Thomas following behind. The brunet glanced at the sky and saw the moon. He felt pretty much normal for today being the full moon. Maybe everyone else was overreacting? They got in the car and drove away.

 

* * *

 

Vince was watching TV on the living room, a beer on his hand after a long day of going through some files, and resting comfortably on the couch when the doorbell rang. He groaned. Great! Just when he had found the perfect position! Begrudgingly he got up from the couch and went to answer the door. It was much to his surprise to find Minho standing on the other side of the door.

"Hey, Vince."

"Hey, kiddo. What's up?"

"Sorry to bother you, but I kept thinking about it and so I came to make Thomas some company until the full moon. Then I'll go."

"He left an hour ago to go and help Aris with something."

Minho deflates at that. "Oh, okay then."

"Maybe you can go and remind him not to take too much in coming back?"

"Sure,"

With that, the Asian male left the house, and Vince went back to try and find the position he liked.

Minho went to the mansion and rang the bell. Moments later the door opened and Aris was standing there in comfy clothes.

"Hey, sorry to bother. I just came to tell Thomas that Vince said not to come home late. Ii could've text him but forgot my phone at my house."

Aris frowns, "Thomas is not here. He was an hour and a half ago, but then he just left."

"He's not here?"

The lighter brunet shakes his head. Minho frowns. That's weird. Why did Thomas told Vince he would go to Aris' house and then he did come here but he left an hour ago? And he didn't told neither Aris or Vince? What could possibly-

His eyes open wide, mouth hanging open when realization hits him like a bucket of cold water,

"Son of a bitch."

 

* * *

 

Over their date, Thomas and Newt kept laughing about a story Thomas had told. After talking where should they eat, they decided to go to a pizza parlor. It was nice. They ate, chatted, laughed and more. Sometimes they just stayed quiet but it wasn't an awkward silence; it was a nice one. They occasionally would look over the other and get caught staring. They chuckled every time it happened. As the laughter stopped, Thomas continued with his story.

"...And so Minho and I were playing hokey inside his house and then Minho accidentally broke a window and when he went to check it in a hurry, he tripped, fell over the table and broke his arm."

 _"What?"_ Newt covered his mouth while trying to not laugh.

"Yeah, he didn't know what he should be more worried about: the broken window or the angle in which his arm was."

Newt smiles, chuckling, "Wow. Now I see Minho in a different light."

Thomas took a sip from his soda, "Naah, he's always like that. A week after that, I broke my left foot trying to kick a football. Don't ask me how, I still don't know how."

Newt chuckles again and shakes his head while doing so. Thomas also chuckled. This was nice; he was so glad he didn't cancel it. And what for? He's feeling fine.

The blond wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin. "Gotta go to the restroom."

"Go ahead,"

Newt stood up and made his way to the bathrooms. As he walked away, Thomas noticed a guy sitting a few tables away from them watching Newt walk, staring at his behind. He grinned and even pointed at his friends to look at him. Something inside Thomas growled and he tried not to actually growl. He closed his eyes and tried to take some air.

 _'Keep calm, Thomas. Keep calm!'_ he closed his hands, making them fist, _'Everything is under control. Just- breathe.'_

He did exactly that. He kept his eyes closed, his hands turned into fists, and tried to focus on his breathing. He managed to calm when Newt was back,

"I'm back." he said as he sat again. He noticed that the brunet seemed a little... off. "You're alright?"

"Yeah, just... too much Tabasco sauce."

Newt chuckled at that. They continued eating their pizza when the blond spoke again,

"So... how's your training going?"

"Good. Good," he swallowed, "How about- how about yours?"

"Good. Aris keeps teaching me like I'm a baby but it's okay."

"Why? He's afraid you'll surpass him?"

"No, I would never surpass him."

Thomas frowns, "Why do you say that?"

"Because," he shrugs, "He's got more years, more experience-

"So? You're doing great, right?" Newt looks at his plate and he looks kind of down. Thomas puts his hands on the table, "Listen; sure, he might have a couple of years ahead you, but that doesn't mean anything. You'll learn to control it, to master it. You'll become a great witch... I think you already are."

Newt looks up from his plate, "You really think so?"

"Yeah,"

A smile appears over the blond's face and Thomas' heart jumps.

"Thanks. That was really kind of you."

The dinner went pretty normal from that point onwards. After finishing, they paid and left the parlor. They went walking along the streets, not really going somewhere. They kept talking about stuff, and Thomas couldn't be happier. Everything was going great...

But of course he can't have nice things.

As they continued walking, a tall guy was standing over a parked car, holding a beer on his hand and drinking it like it was water. A little bit ahead of him was an ice-cream cart. Thomas smiled as he had an idea. He told Newt to wait him where he was and then ran to the cart. Newt stood in his place as he saw Thomas asking the man for their ice-creams. The man told Thomas something and the brunet turned to Newt, pointing over the side of the cart where the types of ice-cream where. He tapped on the chocolate and then on the vanilla. He was asking Newt which flavor he wanted. When he moved his hand to the chocolate, Newt nodded with a smile and took a step back but he bumped into the drunk, tall guy.

"Sorry,"

The guy shook his head, still holding the beer, "No, not at all. What's your name?"

Newt opened his mouth but didn't answer.

"Come on, what's your name? A sweet thing like you must have a beautiful name."

From where he was standing, Thomas could hear everything. The brunet wanted to growl. He really did.

"Newt." the blond answered.

"See? I told you so. So… Newt. Do you wanna have some fun?" he asked taking a step closer into the blond's personal space.

Thomas approached them, the ice-creams forgotten, and he stood beside Newt, his hands grabbing the blond by the shoulders to separate him from the other guy.

"He's not interested." and with that they turned around and went walking away. Or so they tried.

_"Hey, you might want to tell your little tease of a boyfriend to stop leading people on."_

Thomas turned and he looked like he was going to kill the guy. His eyes were wild and his whole body tensed up. He took a step toward the guy, but Newt stepped into his way putting his hands on his chest.

"Tommy, please. Just... let's just go."

Thomas growled inside but he decided to listen to Newt. That guy wasn't worth their time.

_"Yeah! Listen to your boy! Keep letting him tug on your leash!"_

That's when all of Thomas auto control went out of the window. He quickly turned back to the guy and his fist connected with the guy's face, sending him to the ground.

"THOMAS!"

He ignored Newt's yell and went on top of the drunken guy and punched him again. The guy tried to fight him off, but he wasn't match for an angry werewolf. He managed to kick Thomas on the stomach; Thomas went to the ground as the guy separate from him and attempted to get up. Thomas was having none of that. He quickly tumbled the guy on the ground again, harder this time. He got on top of him again and he punched harder. He wasn't really paying attention to his surroundings. To the people who started to gather around them. Some calling for help, others encouraging the fight. He couldn't even hear Newt. He didn't notice as his claws started to come out and that he clawed at the guy's jacket.

And as soon as he had entered that frenzy, it was gone. He stayed there, on top of the guy, breathing heavily. He slowly stood up and saw as the people around them started whispering between them, some pointing at him and the guy. Thomas could still hear his heart beating inside his chest and then he turned to see where the blond witch was. Newt was staring at him with glassy and afraid eyes. Thomas looked down at the guy and at his hands. They had blood. Not too much but it was still there. He stared at them until he couldn't look at them more. It made him sick. He made himself sick. This had been a mistake. He should have never gone out tonight, not when he knew-

He looked back at Newt once more and something in the way he looked at him must have affected Newt, because he didn't looked scared anymore. He seemed... sad. Newt was about to take a step forward but that's when Thomas ran away. Ran away from the drunken guy, the people around them, Newt, but never from himself.

 

* * *

 

As soon as Thomas ran away, and he made sure the guy was still alive -not because he cared; he did it for Thomas-, Newt ran, trying to follow and find Thomas. He went to the park and just saw a couple of people there but not the brunet. He continued walking, looking around but it was futile. If Thomas was running, he wouldn't be able to follow him on foot.

"Thomas? Thomas, are you in here?"

He sighed and went to take his phone out of his pocket and dialed Minho's number. Maybe he could help.

"Minho, listen, I need help."

 _"Is Thomas with you?!"_ was the first thing Minho yelled.

"He- he was. But, I-I don't know what happened and he left-

Newt heard Minho putting the phone away and muttering something along the lines of _"I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch, I swear..."_ some rustling and he had the phone back, _"Newt, listen. Today is Thomas' second full moon."_

"What?" Newt looked up at the sky and indeed, he saw the moon shining above. "Why didn't he-

_"Because he's an idiot. And he'll be a dead idiot if we don't find him."_

Newt gulped.

"Okay... What can I do?"

_"Listen, I'm here with Aris and Gally. We're going to try a spell or something to find Thomas but in the meanwhile we need to make sure he doesn't get hurt... Or that he doesn't hurt anyone."_

Newt bites his lips, and he wonders if he should tell Minho about the incident with the drunken guy. Maybe he shouldn't.

_"Where do you think he would go if he were in that state?"_

"I-I don't know. His house? Your house?"

_"No, I don't think so. He wouldn't want to be near people he could hurt. Somewhere he can be alone; some place he knows that there's no one there."_

Newt goes to open his mouth to say that he doesn't know when he turns around and sees the beginning of the woods. The woods.

"I think I have an idea."

He decides to go to the woods. Alone. In the dark of the night. On a full moon.

Shaking those thoughts away, Newt went into the woods. He gets deeper into the woods, where Thomas would probably go. If he wanted to be away from people, from people who could see him like that. There's not too much movement in the woods and he doesn't know if he's grateful for that, or if he should be worried. Maybe Thomas isn't here. Maybe he's just losing time which he could be using to try and find Thomas before something happens to him. A branch cracks and that brings him out of his thoughts. There's some rustling coming from behind those trees, so he goes to check. He slowly approaches the place where the sound came and there's some growling too; he's close enough that he sees something over the ground. Something moving and with a human form. Thomas was on his knees, his forehead resting against the ground of the woods and his hands over his head, tugging at his hair as he tried to calm down.

"Thomas." he breathes out in relief and then he went running towards him, "Thomas!"

"Step back!" growled the brunet from his place on the ground, not bothering to raise his head. Newt stopped in his tracks and stared at him, "Why are you here?!"

"I... I was worried."

"That guy. I-I almost- I was so angry... You shouldn't have come!"

"Thomas, listen. Everything is going to be fine. You're not going to hurt anyone. I wouldn't be here if I didn't believe that." he gave a step back when Thomas moved and growled. His hands were now resting over the dried leaves in the ground, clawing at them as he controlled himself.

"On my first full moon I had a nightmare in which I attacked all of you. Not only attack but... I killed you. All of you." Newt looks as Thomas continues to squirm still on the ground, "I- I tried to convince myself that everything was going to be okay. That if I could control this full moon then I shouldn't be worried about the ones to come."

Newt takes slow steps closer to him, "You should've told me that."

"I know."

"You should've told me there was full moon."

"I know."

"You should've told me that you weren't okay!"

"I didn't want...! I didn't..."

"Didn't what?" he kneeled in front of the brunet, who continued to try and control himself with the blond standing so close to him. He at least had his head a little raised; not enough for Newt to see his eyes. "What is it? You didn't want what?"

"Didn't want to cancel the date."

Newt stops worrying and just stares at him. Thomas continues to struggle, claws still digging into the dirt underneath him. The moon shines bright above them. His control is slipping. He's not going to... Newt's gotta go now before it's too late. Instead, he's surprised when he feels a hand over his cheek, making him look up and to Newt.

"I wanted to believe that nothing would happen tonight, but deep inside me I knew I could hurt you and I still didn't cancel the date."

"You're not going to hurt me."

"I don't wanna..."

"Yes,"

"I don't wanna... But I might to."

Newt shakes his head, "You could've... But you didn't. You would've done it the moment I stepped into the woods. Yet here I am, and I am not going anywhere."

And then he starts leaning forward so slow that Thomas can see with detail, even in the dark night, his lashes touching his cheeks. As he gets closer, Thomas' pointy ears start going back to normal, the same as the hair over his face and hands. His claws start disappearing too and soon when they kiss there are no fangs between them. They kiss under the moonlight as Thomas calms down. They separate slowly and when Newt sees that Thomas is back to normal he smiles. The brunet smiles too. Newt gets closer and he rests his head over Thomas' chest, the brunet's arms going around him to cradle him close to his body. Hearing the brunet's slow and calmed heartbeat calmed Newt down, so he closed his eyes and lay there, on the ground with a werewolf under the moon.

 

* * *

 

Over her house, Teresa was sitting over her boudoir brushing her hair after having coming out of the shower. When she finishes, she puts her brush down and stares at her mirror. She just stares at it, not doing anything in particular. Her eyes move to the new orange bottle of pills standing on the far corner of her mirror and she looks back at the mirror, staring at her reflection. She looks back at her pills and back at the mirror but this time she sees the face of an old woman covered in blood and screams and suddenly the mirror breaks, thousands of glasses falling all over the place...

Teresa sprints awake and up from her bed. She looks around at her room and finds it empty; no one there. It's still kind of dark outside, so she turns on the small light on her nightstand. The light illuminates her room and it calms her down to see everything in order. Just when she lets out a relieved sigh and is about to go back to sleep, she feels something trickling down her hand and a sting in the same place. Slowly, she holds up her hand and stares at it as she sees her hand covered in blood with some cuts in it, indicating something sharp. As she frowns in confusion, her eyes slowly move to her boudoir only to discover the mirror smashed; glass pieces on the top of her books and some blood over the place of impact.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think I'll be able to update the next chapter on next Friday (february 17) 'cus I have two exams next weekend, and I'm gonna be busy studying and that. Please don't hate me!  
> But don't worry, I'll try to see if I can update it on Sunday. If not, then until the next Friday (february 24).


	5. Charmed and Dangerous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jiji, I got the dates messed up. It's the next week and weekend that I won't be able to upload the next chapter! That's the date for my exams :p  
> But in the meanwhile I'll leave you chapter 5 to enjoy!

In the middle of the night, Newt was lying over his bed sleeping peaceful... Or so he was minutes ago. Right now he was trashing over his bed, gripping at the sheets covering his body like if he had a nightmare, which he probably had.

He was seeing the creepy ferryman that took them to the Underworld on his boat accepting the drachmas Thomas gave him. The reddish-like-a-sunset sky with grey clouds of the Underworld. A tall and lithe man with silver-golden yellow eyes -Elrik. Eris sitting over her throne, legs crossed and hands resting on top of her legs.

Newt furrowed his brow and turned around on his bed, hiding his face over his pillow.

Next was all of them fighting along the skeleton-covered-in-pieces-of-skin guards of Eris against the three-headed creatures that looked like a star-nosed mole. Gally swinging his sword and slashing the creatures. Minho standing beside him with a sword too. He himself standing close to Teresa to protect her. Aris throwing fireballs at the creatures, catching them on fire. His heart stopping while watching in slow-motion as the wall cracked and was about to fall on Thomas, with the brunet not noticing. Next thing was an excruciating pain scorching through his body and he couldn't breathe.

Cold.

That's the next thing he remembers. Feeling cold and numb. Trying to stay awake but it was so hard; it was easier to just let go. Feeling his eyes getting heavier and, with his head falling to the side, he lets the darkness take him.

Newt continues trashing over his bed, his forehead dripping with sweat. Over the corner of his room a small blue flame ignites.

 

* * *

 

There's a knocking over the door and it's being like that for 5 minutes already. Aris comes down the stairs in his pajamas, still half-asleep and going to answer the door where the knocking came from.

 _'Who the hell comes at freaking four of the morning and knocks at someone's door?!'_ he thinks as he's going downstairs. Gally, for some weird-ass reason, was still sleeping. _'Lucky bastard.'_ Once he gets to the door, he opens it and is ready to yell whoever was on the other side. He doesn't care if he's rude. He was woken at four in the morning; he had all the right to be rude! He opens the door and to his surprise finds Newt standing there, -dressed still in his pajamas, it seemed- and with a oversized grey sweater on top. His hair looked disheveled, but probably Aris' looked the same as he had been sleeping minutes ago.

Rubbing one eye, the lighter brunet says "Newt, do you have any idea of-

"I'm sorry, b-but I need help."

"Whatever it is, it can wait 'till the sun is up."

"I almost burned down my whole room."

That wakes Aris up and he looks at Newt, who looks like a kicked puppy. He was scared. Aris takes a step aside and lets the blond witch enter the house. This was going to be a long night.

 

* * *

 

Thomas' full moon had been two days ago. When they went back to the mansion, Minho was waiting there like a mother waiting for her child to come back from a party. He was angry. He spent an hour rambling about how Thomas could be that stupid, irresponsible, a bad friend for lying to him; _'Dick move, bro. Dick move.'_ he had said. But in the end he was glad his friend was fine, and that Newt was fine too. They didn't told Vince or Mary, or his father for that matter. They said that they locked Thomas in a special room in the mansion and that everything went out okay. They believed them. That had been close. Oh, and officially, Thomas and Newt had begun dating two days ago. What a wonderful world, huh?

At school, Thomas, Minho and Teresa were talking over the lockers when Thomas identified a scent. He would always identify that scent. He turned to look at the main door and moments later Aris and Newt came through the door and went towards them. Gally came like a minute later, which was weird as he was always glued to Aris. He walked slowly and when he finally reached them they all could see why. He had bags under his eyes and he could barely keep them open. His hair was a little disheveled too.

"Hey. You feeling fine?" Teresa asked a little worried.

"You look like dead." Minho said bluntly.

Gally glared at him, "Well, you wouldn't look nice either if you hadn't been able to sleep 'cus you had two people up all night." he says looking at Aris and Newt.

"I already said I was sorry." Aris says.

"No, you didn't."

Thomas frowns for a moment, looking at Newt, "Why were you at their house at night?"

Newt goes to open his mouth but Aris beats him.

"It wasn't at night; it was at four in the morning. Yep, and we spend most of the time not sleeping."

Newt's eyes widen and he panics. Thomas' wolf is so close to launch at Aris and bite him but then the lighter brunet laughs, shaking his head.

Aris chuckles, "Don't worry, wonder boy. We weren't doing anything nasty; besides, he's not my type. I like my men like my coffee: Hot and rich." he turns to look at Gally and pouts, "Oww,"

"Yeah, well, I like my people like my coffee: Silent."

"The dead aren't a good company, Gally."

Gally turns to look at the ceiling, "Lord give me patience... because if you give me strength, I'm gonna just beat _someone_ to death."

"Oh, shut up, you know you love me."

"I'd sell you to Satan for one corn chip."

"Is that a proposal?" Aris asks with a grin and wriggling his eyebrows.

Before anything else happens, the bell rings.

"Saved by the bell." warns him Gally while pointing at him; then he turns around and goes to his class. Aris turns to the pack and shrugs, following the tall blond.

Minho and Teresa also go to their class, leaving Thomas and Newt alone near the lockers. The brunet turns to Newt,

"Why were you at their house at night?"

"I needed to ask him something about magic. Sorry to worry you."

"No, it's okay."

But Thomas continued to worry about it. Did something happen that Newt couldn't tell him but he could tell Aris? Something related to magic, maybe. And if it wasn't that, then what?

Newt can see the gears inside Thomas' head working, and so to show Thomas that everything was fine, he leans forward and gives him a peck on the cheek. The brunet practically melts right there.

"Okay~"

Newt smiles and goes to his class. It takes Thomas the second bell to ring to remember he also has class, and to run like a mad man to his classroom.

 

* * *

 

Over the streets near the woods, Alec was driving his car peacefully, going back to the station as he had forgotten something over his desk. There were no other cars at this hour and over there, so he wasn't in a hurry; but then the car started making sounds and before Alec could ask aloud what was the problem, the car stopped. The brunet tried to start the car again but it wouldn't. Huffing, he accommodated his hat and got out of the car and stared at it,

"What now? I took you to the mechanical workshop a week ago!" he was going to open the hood but then he remembered he didn't know anything about cars and that stuff.

Alec groaned and cursed his luck but then a car was seen in the distance. The black car went slowly once passing beside him and it stopped beside Alec. The window went down and Agent Stark was staring at Alec.

"Car troubles?"

Alec smiles sheepishly, "Yeah,"

With a nod, the agent's car parked in front of his and then Dick got out of his car. He approached the brunet and stood beside the car,

"Okay. We just need to jump start the car. Do you have any jumper cable?"

Alec thinks about it for a moment, "Yeah, I think." he goes to the trunk of his car and takes the jumper cable out; he passes it to the blond, who moves to the front of the car and opens the hood of Alec's car. As he does that, Alec asks "Not to be rude but why are you still here? Weren't you supposed to finish your papers and then go back?"

"Yeah, but my boss wants me to stay here a little longer. You know, in case something else happens."

"...Okay."

"Why? Does it bother you?"

"No, no! Doesn't it bother you? I mean, coming to a small, boring town like this, no glamour at all?"

Dick opens the hood of his car connects the jumper cable to the battery of his car, "Mm, not at all."

Alec shrugs, "Well, I just pegged you like that type of man. You know, all business and no fun."

Dick looks up at him but doesn't say anything. For a moment Alec thinks he said too much, but the other shrugs. The brunet lets out a sigh of relief and gets closer to see the blond man working. Dick connects the other cable and then he starts screaming and trembling while pretending to be electrocuted. Alec starts screaming in terror as he looks at him and at the car, the blond not letting go of the jumper cable. Dick's screams then turn into incoherent sounds as he says

" _I..I.._ I can't believe you fell for that!" he says pointing at an incredulous and now silent Alec and starts chuckling.

Alec stares at him with a sorrowed look, hand over his chest as he sadly says "My grandfather died trying to jump-start a car."

"Oh..." Dick's grin dies in his lips as he looks at the brunet's face. He now feels like a major douche. "I'm so sorry. I was just joking around."

"I can't believe you fell for _THAT!_ " he says pointing at him and then starts laughing while looking at the blond man.

Dick stares at him with disbelief and then he chuckles. "Alright," he looks at the side, nodding, "Alright. We're even."

The brunet man continues laughing even after the car starts again.

 

* * *

 

Over their class, Minho was staring at the ceiling without doing anything. The teacher had left to retrieve something from the teacher's longue, so they had to wait in their seats until he came back. As he looked around the classroom, his eyes fell over Teresa sitting beside him, staring at her notebook. He then noticed the skin colored elastic bandage over Teresa's hand. Checking that the teacher wasn't coming, Minho leans towards Teresa,

"I've been meaning to ask..." as soon as he spoke, the raven girl turns to him, "What happened to your hand?"

Teresa looks at her bandaged hand and back at her notebook, "I accidentally broke my mirror and picked up the pieces and cut my hand."

"You accidentally broke your mirror?" he asks in an incredulous tone.

"Yes."

"And then you picked up the pieces and cut?"

"Yes."

"Umm, that was...that was a little misleading."

"What is?"

"The lie you just told."

Teresa stops reading her notes and turns to stare at him, "What?"

"It's obvious you're lying. That it involved a mirror, yeah, I might believe that. But that you accidentally broke it and went to pick up the pieces with your bare hands? Knowing you could cut? That's not like you."

Teresa stares at him with her mouth agape, her eyes a little wide as she had been caught but he didn't need to know that. Instead of explaining herself, she doesn't say anything else; she just grabs her stuff together with her backpack and changes seats, sitting in the front part of the classroom. Minho huffs. Before he could do anything, the teacher comes back and the class reassumes.

 

* * *

 

At their class, Gally and Aris were sitting at the back of the classroom while the teacher wrote something on the board. While writing down on his notebook, Aris throws an eraser at him, having his attention. The sandy blond turns -after making sure the teacher wasn't looking- to the lighter brunet, raising an eyebrow.

"Newt's coming over today, so you better cook something nice, okay?"

Gally rolls his eyes and goes back to sit straight and pay attention to the class. Aris does the same, but moments later the same eraser he had thrown falls over his book. He turns to Gally, who leans towards him again, this time for him to speak,

"So you're going to tell me why he came that early and stayed the night?" he asks.

"We weren't doing anything bad, I swear." Gally gives him a look, "I'm going to help him with something, okay? Don't worry, I've got everything under control."

"They said the same with the Titanic."

Aris gave him a sardonic smile, "Classy. But seriously, nothing's going to happen. After all, I like my coffee as I like my magic..." he grins maliciously. Gally sends him a look that said 'beware what you say next', so the lighter brunet witch clears his throat. "...sweet and light."

"Aha,"

"That's what I was gonna say."

Gally ignores him, "Aha,"

 

* * *

 

The bell rang and everyone left the school. Instead of taking the bus, Thomas and Newt decided to walk so they could talk and enjoy more of their time together before they had to go separate ways.

"So you're going to Aris' house again?"

"Yeah, he said he's going to show me some book with spells or something like that. He didn't explained." he didn't like lying to Thomas, but he didn't wanted him to know that something was wrong with him.

"That sounds cool. Meanwhile, I have to go home and wait for my dad so we can continue with the training." he made a pained face.

Newt tilts his head, "Your dad's not home?"

"No, he went out. Vince's at work as so is Mary. But once my dad gets home..." he shivers, "Good thing I have some free time before that happens."

"Yeah, I still have some time before the time Aris told me to go to the house."

"So..." Thomas started, "We're both with some free time right now."

"Yeah,"

They continue walking and Thomas heard Newt's heartbeat going a little faster than before, but why-  He felt Newt grabbing his hand,

"So... what do you want to do?"

Suddenly they were over Thomas' room, over Thomas' bed, their backpacks tossed to the floor. Newt was on his back with the bed underneath him and Thomas was on top of him. They were kissing and although when they were starting it was a gentle kiss, it started to turn into a heated one, just barely separating for air. Thomas' hands roam over the blond's sides, over his long legs and finally resting on the outer side of his legs. Newt, on the other hand, was occupied with his hands on Thomas' hair, tangling them in it, pulling just a little to hear the brunet growl against his lips. He smiled and kissed him back, caressing the back of his head.

Thomas never felt this happy; he could feel his whole body burn but in a good way. He was so immersed in the kiss that he didn't notice that his eyes glowed yellow for a moment. They rolled over the bed until Thomas was the one on his back, and Newt was straddling him. They didn't stopped kissing as they changed positions. Newt separate from kissing as he nuzzled Thomas' cheek, which Thomas didn't knew he liked until now. He glanced at his right hand and saw that his claws were out. Panicking, he hides his hand at his side just as Newt turned to look at him.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I just... I'm so happy."

Newt smiled at him and they continued kissing. With his right hand out of use, he brought his left one to caress the blond's back carefully in case his claws came out from that one too. Their make-out session continued after that. Thomas feels his body tremble a little but ignores it; instead, he buries his nose into the space where Newt's neck and shoulder meet, and inhales. _Deep._ God, he loved that cinnamon scent. He feels as the blond shivers while he inhales and suddenly the glass Thomas had left over his desk last night explodes. Startled, they both stop and turn their attention to the glass shards over the desk. Thomas frowns in confusion. 'What the hell happened?' he can't help but to wonder when he notices that Newt underneath went kind of silent and rigid. He turns to look at the blond and he looks back at the glass and back at Newt as an idea came to mind,

"Was... Was that you?"

"Sorry. My magic, I... I," he puts a strand of hair away from his face, "I couldn't control it."

"No, it's alright." he shows his clawed hand to Newt, "I'm the same."

They stayed in silence before breaking in laughter. As their laughter dies, Thomas covers his eyes with his normal hand for a moment before looking at Newt,

"We are dorks."

The blond smiles at him, "Yeah, we both are."

Thomas smiles back and leans up -almost sitting- and forward to kiss the side of Newt's face, resting his face against it and closing his eyes. Newt's arms rest over his shoulders and he too closes his eyes.

 

* * *

 

At the same time outside of Aris and Gally's house, some kids had gathered around and were playing baseball. They were laughing and playing, swinging their bats and trying to hit the ball; it was all fun and games... until one kid managed to hit the ball towards the house and it went through the window. The rest of the kids stared at the broken window and they told the kid to go retrieve the ball. He approached the front of the house and knocked on the door but since neither of the teens were home, no one answered. But that didn't stop him at all. He went to find an unlock window and entered through the window, sliding carefully into the house in search for the ball. The kid went upstairs and opened the door to Gally's room but the window was intact. He went to open the other door but it was locked. Turning his head to the other available door, he went there and found the door open. The kid entered Aris' room and stared at the bookshelves filled with strange books and jars and bottles.

He saw the broken window, the glass pieces on the floor and the ball lying a couple of meters away from the window. The little boy smiled and quickly went to pick it up; he heard his friends telling him to hurry up so they could continue playing and so he turned around quickly, ball in hand, and ran out of the room, accidentally knocking one of the bottles from over the desk and to the floor. The bottle broke and the wine colored liquid spilled over the floor.

 

* * *

 

Minho knocks on the door to Teresa's house. After their little 'dispute' they didn't spoke to each other. Well, more like she didn't spoke to him at all. Not even during lunch. Not when they shared two more classes; she would sit far away from him and not bother to look at him. At first it bothered Minho that she was acting like that, but then realized that he should apologize to her. Moments later Teresa's mom, Emily, opened the door and smiled at the visit.

"Sorry to bother, miss Wilde. Is Teresa home?"

"Sure." she moves aside to let Minho enter the house, "She's at her room. Second room at the right."

"Thanks," and with that he went to the stairs and up. He went to the room he was signaled and stood in front of the door. He was about to knock on the door when he noticed it was ajar, so he just slowly pushed it open and entered the room. Minho looked around but there were no signs of the raven girl. His eyes fell over the window and he remembered he had climbed the neighbor's ladder to rescue Teresa once. But now looking at it was different. Teresa comes out of the bathroom and stops in her tracks when she sees the Asian male standing in her room. Both of them stare at the other without saying anything. Minho looks around and raises a hand to wave at her,

"Hi," she still doesn't say anything, "Nice room. The last time I saw your room was from outside the window." he cringes as he hears how creepy that sounds. "I mean, you know... With the whole... crazy witch and me rescuing you from the window."

"What are you doing here, Minho?" Teresa asks as she sits over her bed.

"I, uh," he scratches the back of his head as he gets closer to the bed, "I realized I should apologize. For today at class. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Teresa looks at her hands over her lap, "Sorry to act like I did. I know it wasn't your intention to make me uncomfortable." she goes to smile but instead she yawns. Minho had been too worried about the bandage that he hadn't noticed the bags under her eyes.

"Are you... are you sleeping well? Are you taking your... new pills?"

The raven girl turns her head to the side, not meeting his eyes. Minho gets closer until he's sitting at the edge of the bed.

"Teresa?"

"I don't wanna take the pills." she finally says it. "They make me feel normal during the day, and at school but when I go to sleep..." she shakes her head, "I don't wanna go to sleep."

"You need to sleep."

"I can't. When I sleep, I have nightmares. Even when I take my medicine, they come." she closes her eyes, her voice small, "I'm feeling like I'm losing my mind."

"Hey," Minho moved so he was sitting closer to Teresa. Close enough to stretch his arm to her hand and caress it, "You aren't losing your mind." he offers her a smile. He then looks down at his feet, "If it makes you feel any better, you're not the only one."

Teresa looks up at him, "What?"

Minho looks around, trying to find the courage to tell someone about it. At least one person should know and why not Teresa? "I, um, I've been having these strange dreams... More like nightmares. Some days I'm not able to sleep well, you've seen it." the raven girl nods.

Teresa licks her lips, "Well... Aris did say coming back from the Underworld would affect us."

"Yeah, but... The thing is..." he looks up at her, "I've been having these dreams since before going to the Underworld. Going there just... amplified them."

"What are the dreams about?"

"I don't get them. Sometimes I don't even remember what they were about, but the times I do remember... I wish I couldn't." to explain himself better he continues, "There's, um, blood. Too much blood. Someone is there, although I can't see who it is."

"Have you spoken with your parents about it?

"My parents?" he chuckles, "Oh no, that would be awful." he stands up from the bed and looks around the room like a trapped animal in a cage would do. Teresa can sense the anxiety and worry emitting from him. Still not looking at her, he says "You have no idea how it feels not to be able to tell someone about these nightmares. To be trusted."

"I trust you." she gets closer to the edge of the bed, "But you've got to trust them too, Minho."

Minho raises his head and looks up at the ceiling, still not meeting her eyes, "You can't trust someone who thinks you're crazy."

Teresa stares at him for a long time. She knows that feeling. She eyes the orange bottle on her boudoir and back at the raven male. They stay like that for what seems to be too long before Minho laughs out of the blue, covering his eyes with his left hand.

"Great. The only two humans in the team and we're a pair of nutjobs."

Instead of feeling insulted by the term 'nutjob', Teresa finds herself laughing at that.

She nods although the other can't see her, "Yeah. But we could've been doing worse."

Minho uncovers his eyes and finally looks at her. The look in his face it's like he's fighting something inside him; like if he wanted to cry, but Teresa doesn't know if it's of sadness or anger. He offers her a half-smile and she does the same. Yeah, they could be doing worse.

 

* * *

 

After coming back from Thomas' house, Newt went to Aris' house as the lighter brunet had ask him to. He said he was going to help him with whatever happened last night. He really didn't like lying to Thomas, but it was for the best. If he could control his magic then he could be around Thomas without the fear of accidentally hurting him. Or worse. Walking towards the stairs, the blond stopped there, looking above,

"Aris? I'm here."

No answer.

Newt frowns and goes upstairs. He enters Aris' room with a simple knock on the ajar door, "Aris?" he looks around the room but finds it empty, no signs of the other witch. He keeps walking until he reaches one of the bookshelves, standing in front of it, "Aris?"

Suddenly there's footsteps heard, running towards him and Newt barely has the time to move aside as a sword goes down swift onto the bookshelf, the sword cutting through it and getting stuck for a moment. On the other side of the sword was Gally, which surprised Newt.

"Gally! What's going-

He runs to another direction when the tall sandy blond runs towards him, swinging the now free sword once more. Newt once again avoids the blade and tries to make this scene have sense. Why was Gally attacking him? Was it really Gally? If not, then who? With the sword about to fall on him, Newt bounces to the ground and so the sword sticks once more in the bookshelf. As Gally tries to take the sword out of the bookshelf, Newt takes the chance to run out of the room and away from the other guy.

His first option was to run to the stairs, but with the adrenaline pumping in his body he could trip and Gally would catch up with him. His next choice could be stay and fight... but how? He's not at Aris' level; he would never defeat Gally... if it was really Gally. While thinking he heard a ruckus coming from Aris' room, so he turned around and saw as Gally came out of the room, his eyes targeting Newt. Not losing any more time, the tall blond threw the sword, which looked bigger now that Newt could take a look at it, at Newt's direction. The witch was so frightened that he couldn't move; he couldn't move and the sword would go right through him. Shit.

_'Move, move! For God's sake, move!'_

The sword was thrown at him and he saw it making its way towards him in slow-motion when a voice yelled,

"Get down!"

Then, a pair of hands were over his shoulder, pushing him to the ground and making him kneel and bow his head to avoid the sword thrown at him. It strikes the wall and sticks there. Newt turns to his side to see the lighter brunet witch at his side.

"Aris!" he yells in relief.

They both look up at Gally, who ran towards them. At the same time the witches get up from the floor and avoid Gally as the tall guy goes to retrieve the sword at the other side.

"What's with him?" Aris asks.

"I-I don't know! He was like that when I arrived!"

Aris goes to say something but then Gally is running back at them, this time specifically at Aris. He swings his sword at the lighter brunet, who avoids it. "Gally!" another, "What's gotten into you, you big oaf?!" he avoids another swing of the sword, "You're never like this unless there's an enemy you have to fight!" he turns to Newt, "Where were you when you found Gally?"

"In your room!"

Aris starts thinking when something comes to mind,

"A bottle broke! It must be the one that contained the Anger Empowerment. It enhances the anger of the user; the user becomes stronger, faster, more durable, but he also doesn't have any idea of what he's doing."

"So he's under the effects of the potion?"

"Yes!"

"How do we knock him out of it?"

Aris opens his mouth but he's cut off -like the air out of him- when Gally wraps his hand around his throat and slams him against the wall. Aris' hands go instinctively to try and make the tall blond let go of his windpipe but his grip is too strong. With his free hand, Gally invokes a sword and Aris' eyes widen. As he's about to strike, there's a blue rope of magic wrapped around his wrist holding the sword. Gally's eyes follow the rope to Newt, who quickly tugs at it, sending Gally away over the hall and making him release Aris. The lighter brunet falls to the ground and starts coughing. Newt helps him get up,

"Sorry!" he yells for throwing Gally away.

"Don't be! He was going to kill me. Run!"

They both run to Aris' room and lock themselves there. Newt looks as Aris walks to his bookshelves, looking through the bottles and glass vials with corks. His eyes roamed through all the shelves, trying to find the bottle that broke. Newt looked around the room and his eyes fall over the floor next to the desk where a broken vial is.

"There!" he points at the glass pieces on the floor. Aris approaches it, kneeling on the ground. As he does that, Newt notices the broken window and frowns.

Aris frowns at the broken vial, "Yeah, this is the one. But how-

There's a 'thud' sound on the door and they both know Gally's trying to knock down the door. Both witches take a step back, eyes on the door.

"Take this off!" Aris says, holding his cuffed hand up. Newt does so and in an instant Gally breaks the door and enters the room looking furious. Aris makes a beckoning sign with both hands,

"Come on, big guy! Come to daddy!"

Gally runs towards him, his sword high but Aris makes a twist of his wrist and the sword explodes into feathers. The witches take the opportunity to run out of the room but it only lasts a few seconds as Gally is behind them in a second, throwing Newt to one side and grabbing Aris, holding him up and throwing him to the wall and down the ground. Newt goes to open his mouth but Gally is now targeting him again. He invokes another sword, this time much bigger than the last one, and runs towards him. Newt looks around and tries to make magic, something, _anything_! But nothing happens. The sword is about to pierce through him but Aris moves faster, standing between the sword and Newt, and the pointy tip of the sword goes right through his right shoulder, piercing through skin and making Aris scream in pain. Not wasting any more time, he raises his leg and pushes it against Gally's body, pushing hard and sending the tall sandy blond towards the stairs, where he falls until he reaches down. Gally groans as he falls to the ground.

"Aris!" Newt quickly holds the lighter brunet as he squeezes his wounded shoulder.

"I'm fine. How's he?"

Newt takes a few steps towards the stairs and looks down; he sees Gally lying on his back on the floor, moving his head and groaning at the impact.

"He's alive, that's a given."

The lighter brunet chuckles, one eye closed as his shoulder sting.

 

* * *

 

Once everything was back to normal, Newt was waiting over the living room for Aris to come down. The lighter brunet, now healed, was checking how Gally was after the fall. The tall blond doesn't remember attacking them. He said he went to Aris' room because he was looking for him and then he noticed the broken window. He approached the window and after a moment of standing there, he said everything went red and he doesn't remember anything else. Aris told him it was because the potion was still present in the room when he arrived. But now everything was fine. The lighter brunet came downstairs and he approached the blond witch, arms over his chest.

"How's Gally?" Newt asked.

"Fine. Well, as fine as you can be with a broken leg. But at least he's alive."

"A broken leg? Well, you can fix it with magic, right?"

"He doesn't want me to."

"Why's that?"

Aris shrugs as he goes to the kitchen, Newt following behind, "Who knows. But what I do know is that you came here so I could help you with your magic." he takes a crystal jar out of the fridge and pours some fresh water on a glass.

Newt glances at the stairs, "What about Gally?"

"What about him? He's not going anywhere with that leg like that. This is you and me. No distractions."

Newt thinks about it, biting his lips and nods, "Ok."

Both witches go to Aris' room, and ignoring the mess, they go and stand in the middle of the room.

"So... do you actually know a way to help me or you were trying to be nice." the rolls of eyes Aris makes doesn't go unnoticed.

"Yes. Remember when I was trying to teach you how to control the magic that flows in your body?"

"Yeah,"

"Well, let's do it."

Newt blinks a few times, "Do it again? I don't think-

"Yeah, well, I don't care what you think. This is important. You have to learn to control it, whether you like it or not."

It was kind of harsh but it was true. That's why Newt came here today; that's why he almost got killed by Gally under the potion's effect. But that didn't mean he couldn't be afraid of his own magic. Of what he could do.

Newt nods to himself and stands in the middle of the room. Aris takes a few steps back to give him space. The blond witch holds his hand to the front and breathes calmly, focusing on his hand like Aris had taught him. He tried not to think in anything bad happening. After a couple of seconds, a small light appeared on his hand and then blue flames were dancing around his hand. Looking at them like that, they didn't seem dangerous. He smiles as he observes the blue flames over his hand and turns to see Aris, who offers him a smile. He knows he's doing it great. As he stares at the flames his smile falls when he remembers what happened the last time he did this. The flames growing more and they go out of control. He could no longer control it, the blue flames moving wildly around the room. Aris screaming in pain as the flames got to him and they completely burned his hands, skin peeled off and dangling, red blotches over the palms.

He doesn't notice when the flames start growing like the last time before it's too late and they explode like someone poured gasoline on them, going wild around Newt. Aris takes a step back, putting some distance between the flames and him. Newt continues to stand there, his hand still held out to the front. He moves his other hand and something weird happens: blue flames appear on the other hand too and now it looked like they were enveloping Newt. Terrified, the blond looks up to Aris, who has his eyes wide too and only can say

"This is bad."

 

* * *

 

Over the woods where no one could bother them, Thomas and his dad were training since an hour ago. Thomas had a blindfold over his eyes, being unable to look around him and therefore not be able to see where the attack would come next. His dad was sitting on top of some big rocks, looking at his son as he tried to avoid the traps he prepared. Thomas moved slowly to the right and when nothing happened he continued, but then a medium size log came from above and struck him over the stomach. Inertia made him take a step back and so another log appeared and this time hit him on the head. The younger brunet groaned.

"You're not concentrating." he heard his dad's voice.

"I'm trying."

"Try harder."

Thomas sighs, still blindfolded, and stood his stance. He was about to move to the left when he caught the scent of... something. Something that had a powerful scent mixed with cinnamon. He looks around, even still blindfolded, and tries to determine where that scent came from.

"Thomas?

He ignored his dad's voice, and continued to look around, this time taking the blindfold off. A shiver went down his spine, like when you know something bad is going to happen... Or is happening. The scent amplifies and he whiplashes his head to the other side, his eyes widening as a single word, a single name comes out of his mouth,

"Newt,"

 

* * *

 

Thomas ran to Aris and Gally's house, having followed that scent, and broke through the main door. Good thing there wasn't any mountain ash over the door; it that had been the case he wouldn't have been able to enter the house. He doesn't lose time and runs upstairs to where the scent is coming. He dashes to the brunet witch's room and his eyes widen at the scene in front of him.

Aris had put some distance between him and the flames. Following the lighter brunet's eyes, Thomas found beautiful yet dangerous blue flames coming out Newt's hands, dancing around Newt and surrounding him. The blond had a frightened look on his face but it seemed like he couldn't stop the flames. Both witches turn to the brunet werewolf, and Newt's lip trembles. That's all it takes for Thomas to try and reach him,

"Newt-

"Thomas, step back!"

The flames grow a little more and Thomas takes a step back.

"What happened?" he asks to the lighter brunet witch.

"I don't know. He was doing so great and then..." he stops speaking when he thinks about something. "Another glass bottle broke. I just thought it had been only one because of how Gally reacted but it wasn't just one, there were two. If it's the bottle I think it broke, he needs to calm down."

Thomas points at the blond, "He's surrounded by flames! He won't calm down!"

"He needs to calm down or the flames will consume him."

Thomas' heart stops. He turns to look at the blond witch and the blue flames around him, growing more each passing moment. Licking his lips, Thomas takes a small step forward,

"Newt. Listen to me... I know you're scared." _'I'm scared too.'_ he thought, "But I know you can do this. You just need to breathe deeply and calm down, okay?"

"I don't know if I can." the flames grew more but Thomas didn't made a step back. "Please, go before I hurt you!"

Holding his hands up like when trying to calm down an animal, Thomas took another step, trying to avoid the blue flames. "Remember what you told me during my second full moon? You said _'You're not going to hurt me.'_ " he takes another step, "Well, you're not going to hurt me, Newt."

Newt stares at him with his lip trembling, eyes glassy. Thomas takes another step forward and now he's standing in front of Newt. The brunet brings a hand to the front to touch the witch and winces when the flames touch his skin, but this is not the time for that. Ignoring the pain, he continues until his hand is grabbing Newt's. He takes a deep breath and then takes a step forward, and now he's also surrounded by blue flames. His body was screaming in pain but he didn't let go of Newt's hand nor took a step back. The flames were scorching his body but his werewolf healing kicked in, and started to heal as fast as the skin peeled off. Aris covers his mouth for a moment. He opened his mouth and looked at Newt's face; the blond witch was still staring at him but he didn't look scared anymore. He was surprised. Surprised that Thomas was suffering for him, that the flames were hurting him but he didn't let go of him. Unnoticed by them, the flames started to slowly subside. Still staring at each other, they both leaned forward until their lips touched at the very same time the flames extinguished into thin air. Thomas and Newt were kissing with their eyes closed but they could feel that the flames were no longer there. They separate from the kiss and open their eyes to look at the other. Newt then rested his head over the brunet's chest as Thomas' left arm wound around his back, holding him close. Their right hands were still clutching at each other.

 

* * *

 

Over her house at night, Teresa comes downstairs in search for her mother. She finds her sitting over the dining room with her laptop in front of her and her glasses on. When the raven haired woman with the furrowed brow and pensive eyes notices her daughter standing at the dining's entrance, she stops looking at her laptop and removes her glasses, smiling at Teresa.

"Hi, honey. What's up?"

Teresa braces herself. She thought about it the whole noon. It's now or never.

"I don't wanna continue taking the new pills."

Everything falls silent and her mom stares at her, her reflective gaze searching through her daughter's face.

"What?"

Teresa doesn't repeat herself. She knows her mom heard her. She just turns around and is about to go to the stairs when her mom rushed to her,

" _Teresa-_ Dear, please, what is it? Talk to me!" she manages to grab Teresa and turns her so she's facing her mom. She brings both hands to Teresa's cheeks so she's cupping her face, "Hey, hey. Is it the school? Is something going on?"

Teresa removes the hands from her face, "No, mom. I just don't want to keep taking the pills the psychiatrist gave me."

"Are you feeling better?"

"No, I'm feeling worse! Worse every day!" she finally yells, "They're supposed to make me feel better? Well, they don't. They make me feel as if I'm in some kind of trance, and then when I go to sleep- _Ugh!_ I don't want to sleep! That's when the nightmares come and I'm tired of them." she walks towards the couch and sits on it. Emily sits beside her, "And then there's the people who think I'm crazy and that I need some kind of... antipsychotic."

"What people?"

"You, mom!" she yells and her mom looks like a kicked puppy, so Teresa calms down a little, "You, dad, the doctors, some teachers. And it's just... I sometimes feel like I'm alone, you know? Like they just want me to chug some pill and aren't really trying to help."

"I'm here... I'm..." Emily stares right at the raven girl, "I'm trying to help you. Why don't you trust me?"

Teresa looks between her mom's eyes, lips trembling as she says "Because you can't trust somebody when they think you're crazy."

Emily stares at her daughter with her mouth agape, her expression between sad and hurt about what Teresa said. They stay there, sitting side by side on the couch over the living room.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta love the Newtmas, right?


	6. Magic Hour

Gally was sleeping over his bed on his back, wearing boxers and a tank top and a white cast on his left leg that reached a little below of the knee. His leg was propped up on a pillow to make it more comfortable. He was peacefully sleeping, without any worry at all when the curtains of his room were pulled open in a swift tug. The room was therefore illuminated so quick that Gally didn't had time to cover his eyes; the sunlight reached his eyes, making Gally groan as he moved his head to avoid the direct light on his eyes. Aris stood beside the bed with both hands on his hips,

"Ahh~ It's so nice to get up in the morning and stretch your legs. But you wouldn't know, right?"

"I swear I'm this close to take off the cast and throw it at you." Gally said, covering his eyes with a hand.

"Are you going to go to school?"

Gally points at his body, "Do I look like I can go?"

Aris shrugs, "I don't know. Do I look like a doctor?"

"You look like many things but not like a doctor."

"Oh, really?" he grins maliciously, "Wanna play doctor? I can make a rigorous check-up if you want me to."

"Keep your hands away from my equipment, witch."

Aris shrugs, "Suit yourself." he walks towards the door and exits the room. He goes downstairs where Thomas is waiting over the living room. The werewolf stands up from the couch, backpack strap over his shoulder and meets the witch,

"How is he?"

"He was in such a bad mood that he didn't saw I didn't have the cuff on and that I took his car keys." Aris says holding the car keys on his left hand.

"I don't feel right taking his truck without his permission."

"Do you wanna go walking to school?"

Thomas thinks about it for a moment before he wrinkles his nose, "Let's go now." Aris grins and they both go out of the house and towards Gally's truck.

 

* * *

 

They arrive at school a few minutes later, parking the truck in its usual place. They hop off and go directly to the building, entering and walking towards the lockers. Minho was waiting for him, leaning against the lockers.

Noticing the lack of the tall sandy blond, Minho asks "Gally's leg is still in bad shape?"

"Yeah," answers Thomas.

Minho frowns in confusion and turns to Aris, "Why don't you cure it with magic?"

"Because he won't let me. He says I shouldn't be around the house without the cuff and doing magic whenever I want." he gives a shrug, "Sucks for him, he'll have to wait for his leg to heal like a normal person. Boring."

Thomas' head then turned around to look at the hallway were people were walking, going to their classes or just speaking, and he quickly closed his locker and turned to his best friend,

"I gotta go. See you at lunch?" he asks his best friend, who nods at him. Thomas nods back and then runs the opposite way, and they see him running towards Newt and standing by his side. The blond witch smiles at him and they continue walking towards their class.

Aris decides to go to his class too, and surprisingly enough Minho follows him, although they don't share class.

"Hey," the witch stops in his tracks, "can I ask for a favor?"

"Depends on what you're willing to give me~" he says with a grin. When nothing happens he frowns and looks around.

Minho notices his reaction and he too looks around, "What?"

"Nothing. I just usually expect a scold or a hit on the head. I can get used to it." he shakes his head and his thoughts off, "What do you need?"

"I wanted to know if, uh, there's any potion or spell that can help to make you sleep?"

"Having trouble sleeping?"

Minho wants to say that they're not for him but for Teresa -because they are. But he doesn't want to betray her trust. They opened to each other and only each other.

"Yeah..." he lies.

Aris seems to think about it for a moment, looking up at the ceiling.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks," and with that Minho runs to his class. He enters the classroom and spots the black, long haired girl with blue eyes and goes to sit beside her. She smiles when she notices him, hands over her book. He smiles back, and sits down. Teresa goes back to reading her book, eyes concentrated in the white sheets. Minho stares at her; if this is a way he can help his friend, he will do it.

 

* * *

 

After school came to an end, Thomas arrived at his house and just as he was about to go upstairs and to his room, his dad's voice stopped him.

_"Thomas."_

The younger brunet turns around and finds his father standing over the entrance of the dining room. Thomas stepped aside from the stairs but didn't move from there as his dad was the one who moved closer.

"Hey, what's up? I need to go and do a math homework which is driving us crazy and-

"I need to go again."

Thomas doesn't move for a moment and then blinks a few times, "You're leaving?"

"I have to. Work stuff; they need me to go back tonight."

"But you just came back. Can't you tell your superiors something?"

"It's not that simple, Thomas."

Thomas frowns and starts rambling, "You were teaching me how to control it. How am I going to learn? How am I supposed to know I'm doing it right? What am I supposed to do without you here?"

Steve puts both hands over Thomas' shoulders to calm him, "The same you were doing when I wasn't here. I know it's not fair, but believe me, you can do this." he smiles, "I've learned to be amazed when it comes to you."

Thomas can't feel happy for that because another part of him is sad. Sad that his dad is leaving again and God knows for how long this time. Those hands on his shoulders feel like two anvils and he feels like he can't breathe but he doesn't want his dad to know. He just nods and pretends to smile. Steve removes his hands and Thomas finds that he still can't breathe. He watches as the older man moves around the house, grabbing the car keys from the dining table and approaching him again, and this time he's speaking.

"I need to go and get some things for the trip. I'll be back in a couple of hours."

Thomas nods and with that his dad leaves the house. Thomas stays there for a couple of seconds before running to his room. He closes the door behind him and looks around his room, trying to calm down. He can feel his eyes glowing, so he shuts them closed. Breathing hard, he tries to calm down but it's futile. There's only one thing he can do. Approaching his window, he opens it and climbs out and then runs away from his house.

 

* * *

 

At the mansion, Gally was sitting on the desk over his room, checking some notes when he heard the noise of the main door opening and the jiggle of the car keys; Aris arrived. He turns to the door and waits until he sees the lighter brunet witch approaching him with a coffee on hand.

"I brought you coffee." he says as he puts the paper cup on the table and takes a step away. Gally stares at the coffee for a moment before looking at him with an eyebrow raised, "What?"

"What did you put in it?"

"Wha- I didn't put anything. Just sugar and some cream. Why are you suspicious?"

"Because it's either that, or accept the fact that you've done something nice, and then I have to deal with the horsemen and the rain of fire and the end of days." Aris gives him a look, hands on his hips, acting as if he's offended. But Gally knows better. "You need something." he figures out.

Aris nods, "Indeed."

"So," he takes the coffee with his left hand, "what does it have to do with me?"

"Well, I was hoping that, you know, you could get me some... potion which I have none. Ran out of it last year."

The sandy blond guy takes a sip from the coffee, and looks at the witch over the top of the cup, "That's it? Just get you some potion?" he lets out a relieved sigh, "Well, okay.  What do you need?"

"Somnia lunaris."

Gally stops moving for a moment, " _'Lunar dreams'_? Why would you want that?"

"I was going to ask for Aegri Somnia, but I thought you wouldn't like that."

" _'Troubled dreams'_? Forget about it." he holds his hands up, "Now, why do you want it."

"I... I can't get any sleep." Gally raises an eyebrow, "What?"

"I know you're lying. If you don't want to tell me, I won't get the potion."

Aris huffs. If that's how he wants to play, fine. "You know what? I don't need it! I can continue with my endless nights of not getting good sleep!"

"Finally something we can agree on."

Aris turns around in anger and leaves the room. Gally grabs his coffee again and sipping, he goes back to what he was doing before the witch arrived.

 

* * *

 

Over his house, Newt was coming upstairs to his room; opening the door, he enters his room without looking at his surroundings. He walks to his desk, and goes to grab something when he raises his head to meet the mirror. He looks over his mirror and is startled for a moment at seeing someone sitting on his bed, but once he turns around and recognizes the person he calms down,

"Thomas!"

The brunet werewolf was sitting over the edge of the bed, hunched over with his hands hanging between his legs, but he wasn't looking at Newt; he was staring at some blank point on the wall.

Newt puts a hand over his pounding heart, "You scared me! You didn't tell me you were coming over. If I knew I would have-

"My dad's leaving."

Newt stops whatever he was going to say and turns to look at his boyfriend, "What?"

Still not looking at the witch, he continues, "He has to, I understand. I mean, it's work. I understand but... But still..."

Knowing that the other was sad, Newt approaches the brunet over the bed and standing in front of him, he holds his hands -which now were claws, making the brunet to look up at him.

"Hey, it's okay. He's your dad. You haven't seen him in a while; it's okay to be sad that he's leaving again." he says in a soft voice.

With a gentle tug, he makes Thomas stand up from the bed and stand in front of him, guiding his hands to rest on his waist and he cupping Thomas' face. He smiles when Thomas meets his eyes and the brunet also smiles. Feeling himself more calm, his grip on Newt's waist gets firmer and he leans forward to nuzzle Newt's forehead and temple. He's so much calmer. He continues nuzzling until he reaches his lips and pauses for a moment before leaning forward and capturing those lips in a kiss.

They kiss for a couple of minutes before Newt carefully pulled away and rested his forehead on Thomas'. He then let out a breath followed by a chuckle, "At least nothing caught on fire."

"Well, no exactly."

Newt didn't understand what Thomas was indicating until the brunet looked down at their feet and Newt followed his gaze and noticed they were floating. _"Oh!"_ he exclaimed before they both touch the ground. Still holding each other close, they turn to look at the other and laugh at that. Thomas was so happy right now that he forgot why he had come here in the first place.

 

* * *

 

Aris was over his room, sitting over his desk while inspecting the pieces of the broken vial. He holds a piece of glass up so he could inspect it closer. Gally appears over the door clutching the crutches; he slowly enters the room,

"So that's the glass that broke?"

"Yeah. _'Infelix sententia'_." he drops the glass on the table, " _'Unhappy thoughts'_."

"That's why Newt's magic went out of control? Because the potion made him have unhappy thoughts?"

Aris continues to stare at the glass shard, "Not just 'unhappy'. It's like having a nightmare when awake."

Gally frowns, "If that's the case, and we know what made him act like that then why do you look so worried?"

"Because it's not supposed to affect you that quick. Newt just stood in the room for a little time before the potion made effect; it's not supposed to act so fast unless..."

For the look on his face, Aris seems to know what it could be or at least have an idea. Dropping the glass shard over the desk, Aris stands up and goes to the door,

"I need to go to Newt's house."

"I'm coming with you."

Gally turns around but the movement makes the crutches slip and he trips and falls on the floor, face first. Neither he or Aris move or say anything; the lighter brunet just stares at him on the floor and Gally moves his head so he's facing him.

"..."

"...." Gally speaks first, "At least show a little concern."

Aris gasps, "Oh no! Is the floor okay?"

 

* * *

 

After Thomas left, Newt stayed in his house to work on his homework. Damn that math homework. He was sitting over his desk, math notebook in front of him and pencil on hand. When he couldn't concentrate on the mathematical problem, he decided to change to another subject. Picking his History book and putting it in front of him instead of the math problems, he opened the book and started to turn the pages. He was turning the pages slowly when something caught his eye: the Salem witch trials. Newt stopped there and stared at the pictures and the text below them. Three witches being burned at stakes; another one about to be hanged. Newt decided to move his eyes from those pictures to the text but not even ten seconds as he did that, the black letters started to melt on his book. He blinked a few times -thinking that maybe he was tired- but the letters continued to melt, reaching the bottom of the book and just piled there in a sea of black ink.

"What-

He looked up at where the letters had been seconds ago and just a word remained.

**Freak.**

Newt frowned and shut his eyes for a couple of seconds; he opened them again and was surprised to see that the word had changed,

**Demonology.**

He blinked again in fear.

**Good and evil.**

And again.

**Wicca.**

And again and again. Words continue to reappear and each one of them made him agitated. He snapped his book closed and got up his chair, taking a few steps back still staring at the desk where the book was. He then noticed he was breathing irregularly, so he tried to calm down. As he brought a hand to his chest, there was green fire surrounding his right hand. He held it in front of him to look at it. Closing his eyes like he did before, he took deep breaths and then opened them again to find nothing on his hand, the fire gone.

Newt looked around his room to see if anything was on fire and was relieved when everything was fine. With his bed a couple of steps behind him, he took the steps without turning around and sat on his bed but then he felt that the bed was different... more hard. Turning around to take a look on his bed he felt panic invading his body when instead of his bed he found a bed of branches. He jumped off his bed and stared at the branches. A light coming from behind him made him frown; he turned and saw fire -not his type of fire-, real fire burning his desk and chair, consuming his books and everything on the desk. Next things he knew his whole room was surrounded by flames and he looked down at his hands and found shackles on his wrists. He tried to take them off but the fire was making him desperate.

"Newt!"

The blond witch turned around and saw through the flames Aris and Gally standing over the door. If they took a step closer they could get burn.

Newt shook his head, "Get back! The flames-"

"What flames?"

From Aris and Gally's point of view, the room was in complete order, no flames or smoke, and Newt was standing in the middle of his room with his hands brought to the front. He looked scared.

"Newt, there's nothing in here." Gally said.

Newt looked around at the flames and down at the shackles.

"What do you mean?! You can't see this?!"

Gally leaned close to the lighter brunet witch and whispered, "What is wrong with him?"

"He must have cut himself before he came to the house and the potion was absorbed through the cut. He's still under the potion's influence."

"Shouldn't it have come out of his system already?"

"Yeah, but with this kind of potions you can never know."

"So what do we do?"

"We must let him know that whatever he's seeing it's not real. He must calm down or else his magic will get out of control and he might hurt himself or us." he shook his head, "Newt, listen to me. This isn't happening, okay? You're okay. There's no fire in here."

Newt frowned and looked at the tall blond, "Newt, listen to Aris. There's no fire."

"No, no."

"Remember Gally went out of control because a potion glass broke? There were two, and the other potion is affecting you as well."

"No, this is me! I did this!" the shackles were starting to burn around his wrists.

"It's the potion, Newt. It's not you. It's not your magic." continued to say Aris.

Newt shook his head, as if he couldn't accept that. He continued to shake his head in a 'no' way as he walks backwards towards the wall, but for his misfortune there's an open window right behind him. He took a final step and the back of his legs and feet touched the window frame, making him trip and fall through the window. As Gally was on crutches, it was Aris who launched to the blond as he was about to fall and he Disapparated them; they twisted and swirled into nothing within a swirling clear haze, accompanied with a loud rustling or rushing sound. They Apparete the same manner but in the reverse order, with them twisting out of nothing with the same sound and crack. Newt blinks a few times, feeling extremely dizzy as he takes in his surroundings. They are in the woods.

"I take it you've never Apparete before?" Aris asks.

" _'Apparete'_?"

"Apparition. It's a magical method of transportation." Newt tried to take a step but he almost fell if not for Aris holding him, "Whoa, easy there! It's like when I teletransported us with the fairy, but this one if faster and better."

"It also makes you feel dizzy."

"Once you learn how to do it the nauseas will go. Now, what's more important: how are you feeling? Are you alright? There's... no fire in here?"

Newt looked around and shook his head, "No,"

"Okay. Good." he said as he nodded to himself. He turned to look around the woods to make sure there was no one in there that could have possibly seen that. Well, they're in the middle of the woods. Who's in the middle of the woods at this time?

"I'm sorry." came out of the blue from Newt.

Aris turned to look at him, "What for?"

"All of this. The other day. Me, minutes ago hallucinating fire."

"Hey," he says shaking his head, "It wasn't you not being able to control your magic; it was the potion. That made you go out of control with your magic as well."

"Yeah, and when I burned you?"

Aris sighs, "Okay. That wasn't the potion. But that was because you were still learning."

"I still am."

"Yes. But now you have more control." with that he grabbed Newt's hand and held it in front of Newt and between them; moments later a small blue flame appeared over Newt's palm. It didn't grow; it stayed the same size but it didn't wavered.

Newt stared at it and Aris could feel him getting calmer. He let go of his hand and the flame stayed the same. After a moment the flame disappeared.

"Thanks," Newt said sincerely. "I, uh, we should probably go back."

"I can take you to your house if you want."

Newt paled, "With the... Apparate thing?"

"Or you can walk."

"What about Gally?"

"What about him?"

Newt chuckled.

"I need to do something first, and it doesn't include Gally if that's what you meant."

"Okay. I'll go back walking."

"You sure you'll be okay?"

Newt nodded. He started to walk towards where he was sure was the way to get out of the woods. Aris stayed in his place and then he Disapparated again.

 

* * *

 

Minutes later Aris Apparated in front of Teresa's door. He had to go to the mansion before to pick up something. Standing in front of the door, he raised his hand and knock. Moments later Teresa opened the door and was surprised to see the lighter brunet witch standing there outside her house.

"Aris. Hi, what are you doing here?"

"A little bird told me that you were having trouble sleeping."

Panic appeared over Teresa's eyes and Aris held his hand to stop her before she said anything.

"Well, he didn't tell me _per se_. I just deduced it. Anyways, I came here to give you this." he brought his hand to the front, showing a small glass bottle without labels or anything that could say what it was.

"What's that? Some kind of magical medicine that will help me get some sleep?"

"No... Valium."

"Oh," Teresa blushed.

"Yeah, I kind of wanted to give you _'some kind of magical medicine'_ but Gally said I couldn't, so this should do."

"I, uh, I don't know what to say."

" _'Thanks'_ would be very nice."

Teresa smiles, "Thanks." she takes the bottle.

"I hope they can help. If not, then tell me and I'll try to get that magical medicine in some other way."

"I don't think Gally would approve of those clandestine methods."

"Who says he has to know?" he asks with a confused frown. Teresa chuckles and shakes her head.

"Okay. Thanks again. And goodnight."

"Goodnight," he turned around and Disapparated once more. Teresa blinked a few times but then she turned around and went back inside her house.

 

* * *

 

At night over Thomas' house, the brunet was saying goodbye to his father as Vince and Mary were going to drive him to the airport. Thomas was currently in a bear-like hug -werewolf strength, you have it too, Thomas- with his father. The older man kept patting on his back and Thomas felt himself relax. It had been so long since the last time his dad hugged him like this. He felt like he was a kid again. Moments later they separate.

"I'll try not to be gone for too long, and I'll write or call every week. If you have any doubt you can call me or you can ask Vince, but remember what I told you."

_'You can do this.'_

Thomas nods, "Yes."

_'I've learned to be amazed when it comes to you.'_

Steve nods back at his son, and then goes to pick up his suitcase. Vince walks to the door, holding the other backpack as Mary opens the door, car keys in hand. The go out of the house with Thomas staying over the door. Putting the luggage in the car, the three adults enter the car too and close the doors. As Vince starts the car, he glances at the rear mirror and sees Thomas waving at them. Eyes still on the mirror, his sight changes to the other werewolf inside the car.

"You know, Thomas at some point will have to know what you are doing every time you leave for 'work'."

"Yeah..." Steve looks behind, "But right now it's not the time. He's not ready, and he has other things to worry about."

Thomas keeps waving until the car is out of sight. He closes the door and goes upstairs to his room. Once he reaches his room, he lies on his back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He stayed like that for what it seemed to be hours; the moonlight illuminating his room until he felt his eyelids start to weight and he closed his eyes, falling asleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, short chapter. Sorry!!! The next one will be better!  
> This will be the last appareance of Thomas' dad in this season, but who knows. We might see him again in another season.  
> This chapter also marks the end of the first part of the second season; from chapter 7 to the end of the season will be another topic, so stay tunned!


	7. The Austere Academy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this chapter we start the second part of the season! I hope you like this part of the season!

On Friday, the pack were over Aris and Gally's house doing homework. Gally and Aris were over another room while Thomas and the rest were over Aris' room, sitting in the table Aris had appeared with magic. Teresa continued to explain a part of the homework Minho and Thomas had to the two boys when steps were heard running towards the room and moments later Aris appeared on the door. As soon as his eyes fell over Thomas, he ran towards the werewolf,

"Thomas, quick! Give me your hand! It's a matter of life or death!"

Thomas doesn't question him further after that, so he does as he says and holds his left hand to the witch. Suddenly, Aris puts a leather cuff -kind of similar to the one he wears- on his wrist, and then puts another identical on his own wrist. As Thomas frowns in confusion at why this was a matter of life or death, the thunderous steps of Gally running towards the room were heard before he appears on the entrance of the room. His eyes fall on Aris, then on both their wrists, and back to Aris.

"I panicked." answers the witch.

Gally groans.

"Damn it. I was going to come here to warn you not to do what Aris asks you, but now I guess it's too late." he says as he enters the room.

"Ha, now you have to take Thomas along!"

"Take Thomas along to where?" Minho asks.

"To the magic world." he lets out another sigh, "Because I need to see the Council and I need to bring Aris along." he points at Thomas' wrist, "Those cuffs are a pair; once you put them on, you can't take it off. The only way to remove it is by going to the Council, where now I have to take both of you thanks to a certain someone," he says glancing at Aris, who shrugs.

"Whoa! This is so great!" Minho said, "We're going to the magic world!"

" _'We'_?" Thomas asks confused.

"You know me, bro. If you're going, I'm going."

Gally frowns, "Guys, I-

"Hey, how come he can go but I can't?" Teresa says.

"Because Thomas and I are a package."

"Well then, I guess I can be Newt's plus two."

"Guys, this isn't how it works-

It's Minho's time to speak again, "Wait, why are you so sure Newt's going?"

"Well, duh!" she points at Thomas. The brunet and the blond witch both blush.

"Then it's settled! We're all going!" Aris says excited. Something tells Thomas this had been his plan since the beginning.

Teresa, the voice of all sanity and reason, speaks next. "Wait, what about school?"

"What about it?" answers Minho.

Teresa rolls her eyes but continues, "Well, you know. If we're going to go to the magic world for God knows how many days, then we need a good excuse."

"What were you going to use as an excuse to not assisting?" Newt asks.

"Family matters."

"Well, we all can't have family matters going at the same time, am I right?"

Teresa nods, "Minho is right."

"Umm, are you forgetting that I have magic?" Aris says, "Chill, I have it all figured out."

"That's what they said in the Titanic and it sank." Gally says as he exits the room, muttering to himself to calm down.

"Well, someone's in a bad mood."

"So, when do we leave?"

"Tomorrow in the morning. So you better go home now and pack everything you think you might need."

"Like what?" Minho asks.

Aris shrugs, "I don't know. What you usually pack when you go out on a trip. Now, if you excuse me, I need to do something else." he turns around and leaves the room.

The rest of the pack stays in the room and look at each other. Minho breaks into a grin,

"I'm so excited!"

The rest laugh at that.

 

* * *

 

At night, Thomas had everything ready underneath his bed -in case Vince or Mary came into his room- and was getting out of the bathroom after brushing his teeth. He went straight to his bed, sitting on the edge and staring at the calendar. Exactly how many days would they be away? Would it be like when they went to the Underworld? And how exactly Aris had everything figured out? Shaking his head, he decided not to worry for that right now, and lay down on his bed, putting an arm behind his head and staring at the ceiling. He doesn't know when his eyes closed and he fell asleep, but he was glad they did.

 

* * *

 

At her house, Teresa had packed her backpack and was about to go to sleep when her eyes fell over the small bottle of pills Aris gave to her. Should she take them? And what about the others? What if someone saw her and ask about them? Would it be that bad being a couple of days without the pills? She turns and looks at the three books piled over her nightstand she had read whenever she couldn't sleep, and making up her mind she grabbed the pills, popped one out and put the bottle inside her backpack, at the bottom of it. It would be for the best.

 

* * *

 

Gally climbed the stairs and was ready to go to his room. He had gone downstairs to the kitchen for a glass of water and now was ready to go to sleep. As he walked past Aris' room and towards his, he heard a noise that sounded like... a cawing -like the sound a bird does-. But there's no bird inside the house. He paused and thought for a moment if he had really heard something or maybe he was just tired. He was about to leave when he heard that noise again, now sure it came from Aris' room. Not wasting time, he went to the witch's room; he opens the door and finds Aris sitting over his bed, his suitcases standing on the floor near his desk already finished. He enters the room and looks around,

"What was that?" he asks.

"What was what?"

Gally gives him a look, "You know what. That sound just now."

"Oh, sorry!" Aris holds the control, "The TV. Accidentally pressed the button and the TV turned on. It startled me too.

"That wasn't the TV. Now, what were you really doing?"

Aris sighs in defeat. "Okay." he moves to the other side of his bed and grabs something from underneath it. He holds up a book, "I was reading an interactive book describing magical creatures. I opened it once and one of the creatures made that noise. I wanted to see how funny it would be to see how you reacted to it a second time." Gally glares at him, "...It obviously wasn't funny."

"Go to sleep."

"Yes, sir." he puts the book under his pillow and turns back to stare at Gally. The tall sandy blond rolls his eyes and turns to leave the room. Closing the door behind him, he decided to ignore the witch and go to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, everyone reunited at Aris and Gally's house with their stuff ready. They stood over the living room, backpacks over the floor. The two older teenagers stood on the other side, their things on the floor beside them.

"Is everyone ready?" Gally asked. The pack nodded.

Gally walks to the side and stops in front of the nothing. Kneeling, he takes out a small like-pearl from his jacket and puts it on the ground, then takes a couple of steps back and everyone stares at it. Nothing happens but moments later the pearl shines and a portal opens where Gally put the pearl. Gally is the first one to enter, then follows Aris. Thomas looks at his friends and gulps; he goes next. He approaches the portal and closing his eyes goes through it. He opens his eyes and finds himself in another place, no longer in the mansion. He looks around and spots Gally and Aris a couple of feet away. He hears a noise behind him and Newt comes out of the portal, looking around until his eyes fall on Thomas. Minho and Teresa are next, and moments later the portal closes. They are standing in what appears to be the beginning of some woods. But this one looked different than the one in Beacon Hills. It looked... greener.

Securing the strap of his backpack, Thomas -followed by the pack- approached Gally.

"Ok, follow me." and with that the tall sandy blond turned around and started walking away from the woods. The rest followed him. They were walking, looking around in case they saw something but being strangers in this place they didn't know what to expect. For example, where they were going. Thomas started thinking it looked like a strange place to put a Council... What does a Council look like in the first place? As they walk, they start seeing a big building right to the direction they are going. Would that be it?

Thomas sees Aris frown and lean to Gally, "I thought you said we had to go and meet the Council?"

"Yes, but first I need to tell the knights that I'm back so they can tell the Council."

They continue walking. Teresa looks around and asks "So... This is your academy?"

Gally nods, "Established centuries ago, it added to the hitherto rudimentary education of the youth supernatural and non-supernatural. The best knight school you can find in the whole world."

Taking a good look at the giant building, it kinda looked like a typical castle/academy, with towers at each side and all that, just that this one didn't seemed to be about to fall into pieces. It even looked like it had been build not long ago. They approached the entrance of the whole place, where there was a tall black steel gate with the name 'Luna Nova' on top and with -what appeared to be the Academy motto- in Latin: **"Leni manu eques manu Dei est."**

" _'Leni manu eques manu Dei est'_?" Minho asks.

"In the gentle hand of the knight lies the hand of God." answers Gally. "Come on, this way."

They cross the gate and continue on the path; as they got closer to the building, they saw several young men training. Some were running laps around the field; others had their armors on and were engaging in a sword fight. Others were doing sit ups, pushups and squats. They all stared at them as they walked except Gally; he kept his head to the front. Well, maybe this wasn't new to him.

Thomas looks at the front as Gally guides them toward a tall, muscular man wearing khaki pants and a white shirt. The man had grey hair and although he did look mature, he wasn't near old. He also wore a carefully sculpted moustache and beard with the same color of his hair. He was watching the training of the ones doing pushups and sit ups, and also the ones running laps. His eyes were glued to them until he saw Gally and the rest approach.

"Well, isn't this a sight for sore eyes?" the man says with a smile as he holds a hand to Gally.

"Master Hausen. It's been so long." Gally takes his hand and in that moment he's brought in for a bear like hug from the older man. The pack tries not to laugh at that.

"Not that long, kid." he separates from the hug and his eyes fall on the pack, "And who are your friends? They don't seem to be from here."

"They're not, but one of them has a special type of cuff on and I needed to come here to take it off."

Master Hausen looks from Thomas to Aris, who shrugs. He then looks back at Gally, "Alright then, shall I inform headmaster Hawkzile that you're here?"

"If it's not much of a bother."

The man smiles again, "Not for you, kid. Be right back." and with that he turned and walked away, disappearing into the building.

"He seems nice." Teresa says.

"He is. He was one of my teachers in here. I learned so much from him."

_"Well, well, well. Look who's back."_

They turn around to where that voice came from and found three guys approaching them. They weren't wearing any armor, and they look like they were near Gally's age. The one who spoke, a tall guy with black hair, continued,

"I never thought I would see you again around this place, Castellan. Are you here because you realized that the task the Council gave to you was too much? Ready to give up and pass the torch to someone else?"

"Like who? You?" Gally snorts, "Please, Castor, you wouldn't be able to stand him five minutes, let alone 100 years."

"And what? Someone like you is more qualified to do it? I don't think so."

"The Council did. And so did the knights. And the headmaster Hawkzile." he says taking a step forward.

Castor takes a step closer, "You think you are so much better than us just because Master Celestine took you as his pet."

Thomas saw as Gally made his hand a fist but he didn't attack. He was restraining himself. The other three guys were laughing when someone appeared behind them and put a hand over that Castor guy's shoulder. The three guys shut up instantly. A quite tall man with a slim build was standing behind them. His eyes appear either gray or a dirty-brown in color and have small wrinkles around them showing his age. He has short, straight, grayish-black hair that is parted in the middle with several of the bangs falling over his face.

"Now, now, mister Bennett. That's no way to talk to a comrade, is it?"

"N-No, Master Celestine."

"Good. I think I heard Master Wayne calling for you moments ago."

"Yes, sir!" the three guys ran away from there, not bothering to look behind at the pack.

The pack stood in their place and so did the tall man in front of them. He turned to look at Gally and offered him a smile,

"My child, it's good news that you are back."

Gally bowed his head, "Master Celestine, it's good to see you again."

The older man laughed softly, "Oh, still with the manners? Even when I told you it was okay to call me Bastian?"

Gally kept his head bow but Thomas could hear his heartbeat raising.

"Well, you must be tired. Shall I accompany you to our guest rooms?" the man said as he turned around, not waiting an answer, and started walking along the hall. The pack followed him.

As they were walking, Thomas approached Aris and whispered in his ear, "So, do you know any of this people?"

"Sure."

"What about this guy? What is he to Gally? Another teacher?"

Aris went to open his mouth but footsteps running towards them were heard and they all saw as the man from before, Hausen, ran towards them.

"Bastian. I see you're already taking the guests to their rooms." he turns to Gally, "I'm so sorry, but the Council is busy right now and they can't take any message."

"So..." Minho started, "We have to wait 'till they're done?"

Hausen nodded. Okay, so it was a good thing they all packed clothes. They all went to the guest rooms and as soon as they arrived, Hausen turned to them,

"We only have three available rooms for the moment, so I hope you don't mind sharing."

Minho grabbed Thomas' cuffed wrist and yelled "I pick Thomas!" and ran to the room where Hausen was keeping the door open. Thomas didn't even have time to protest as the door closed behind him.

Teresa turned to Newt, "You don't mind sharing?"

"Do you mind?"

The raven girl shook her head and they went to the other room, leaving Gally and Aris standing alone with the two adults. Gally turned to the lighter brunet witch, who looked back at him and said

"Like I was expecting something different."

They went to the room as the two adults stood over the door. Once they were inside, Bastian bowed his head and excused himself, saying he had some other things to do. He turned aound and left. Hausen watch him leave and he turned to the teens in the room and with a smile he said,

"There are chocolate bars inside the drawers~" and with that he ran too.

Hausen went running after Bastian until he reached him, walking beside him. The dark haired man didn't bother to look at him.

"Aren't you happy to see him again, Bastian?"

"Mikael..."

"What? I am happy to see him and I don't have a strong relationship like yours."

"Yes, I am happy to see him. But right now I have some other things to do."

Hausen shrugged and they continued walking.

 

* * *

 

After putting their stuff in their rooms, the pack reunited over Aris and Gally's room. Newt and Teresa sat over the beds while Minho sat over the chair, Thomas standing beside him and Aris standing beside the door. As soon as the older men left, Gally excused himself and said he needed to do something first and left Aris alone in the room; moments later the pack reunited.

"So what? We just stay here and wait?" ask Minho.

"It seems so." Aris says.

The Asian groans, "Ow, man! That's too boring! We should be out and looking around! Don't you think?" he asks the rest of the pack, who nod, agreeing with him.

"What about Gally?" Teresa asks.

"What about him?" answer at the same time Aris and Minho.

Teresa gives them a look, "Come on, guys. Don't be like that. We can't just disappear and when he comes back notice we're gone and go mad."

"So what do you suggest?"

"We can wait he comes back and tell him we would like to go and see around."

"And what if he says no?"

The door opens, startling them for a moment before it reveals Gally on the entryway. The tall blond raises an eyebrow,

"What if who says no?"

Aris turns to Teresa, "Go on, tell him."

The raven girl gets up from bed and looks at Gally, "We were wondering if we could go and see your academy. You know, like a tour."

Gally stays still for a moment before he nods, not moving from where he's standing. "Sure." the pack opens their eyes wide and stare at him. "Since we don't have to go and see the Council right now, we have the afternoon free. Well, I need to do something before relaxing so I'm going to go just for an hour, okay? Thomas, can you accompany me?"

Thomas blinked a few times kind of confused, "Uh, sure." and walks towards the door.

"Why ask him and not me?" Aris asks.

"Because him I trust."

"Dick."

Gally ignores him and just before he and Thomas leave he turns once more and points at the blue eyed girl, "Teresa, you're in charge." and the two males disappear out of the room.

The three guys inside the room stare at the door and then turn to look at Teresa. Aris raises an eyebrow at her, "So, where to, boss?"

 

* * *

 

After like almost 30 minutes of the cab driving them, Gally and Thomas finally arrive at a medium size house. As Gally pays the driver, Thomas gets out of the cab and stares at the house. So this was Gally's house, huh? While they were in the cab, Gally told him he had to go and check on his mother. Thomas was surprised to know that the sandy blond trusted him enough to take him meet his mom. That's when he realizes that from the pack, this would be the second parent -beside from Minho- that he will meet. They walk to the door and once standing in front of it, the tall blond knocks on the door and they wait for Gally's mother to open. While they wait, Thomas starts wondering about his mother. What kind of woman will she be? Would she look like Gally? He imagined Gally with long hair and a dress. He shudders at that thought. Just then the door opens, revealing a young woman: her face was slightly heart-shaped, with high cheekbones barely flushed and big pale green eyes. Long strawberry blonde hair fell in silken curls to her chest and her fair skin shimmered in the sunshine ([x](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/09/e3/77/09e37785c945d3ef7dbca4fde11c6029.png)). Wait, didn't Gally said he had to visit his mother or something? Maybe she's his sister? Or his girlfriend. Does he have a sister or a girlfriend in the first place? Her face breaks into a smile when she locks eyes with the tall sandy blond guy,

"Gally!"

"Hello, mother." she pulls him into a hug.

Oh, so she's his-- _Mother?!!_ Wait, how- But she's...! She's--

They separate from their hug and Gally turns to Thomas, "This is Thomas, he's a friend of mine."

Thomas registers his name being said, so he's brought out of his thoughts and looks at Gally and then at the woman. "N-Nice to meet you, ma'am."

"Nice to meet you too. Well, come on in!" she turns around, her warm reddish blonde hair bouncing as she walks away into the house.

Gally takes a step forward into the house and stays aside so Thomas can enter, but the brunet werewolf's mind is somewhere else.

"I can practically hear the high-pitch whine from your IQ all the way over here."

Thomas enters the house, "Sorry. I just... Your mother, I- expected..."

"Someone older?" he says with an eyebrow up. Damn it, Thomas feels that if he would have dog ears, they would be down in embarrassment. "It's okay. It's the first time someone actually didn't said it aloud. But if you must know, for future references, she doesn't grow old like the rest of the people in here."

"Why?"

"...Because she's an Oracle."

With that, he closes the door and walks towards the same direction his mother had gone. As they walked, Thomas started thinking. Oracle? As in an oracle? The only oracle Thomas has ever heard of was the Oracle of Delphi...

 _'Wait. Can she like, see the future? Predict it?'_ he eyes Gally's back in front of him. _'Is that why he never mentioned her?'_

The woman -who Thomas still didn't knew her name- guide them to the cozy living room and sat in the individual seat, leaving the big couch for the two teens. She stares at Thomas and says

"Diana."

Thomas is brought out of his thoughts, "What?"

"My name." she explains while smiling, "You had a face that yelled that you didn't knew how to address me. Diana or Mrs. Castellan is fine."

While Thomas sits on the couch, Gally doesn't sit. Instead, he says he's going to bring something to drink and he goes to where Thomas believes is the kitchen. Once they're alone, the beautiful woman turns her attention back to Thomas,

"So... What are you? I mean, are you human, sorcerer, merman?"

"I'm a werewolf, ma'am."

"A werewolf. That's amazing." she looks over her shoulder to where Gally had gone and once she made sure the other wasn't coming back soon, she turned back to Thomas, "Thomas, this might sound a little weird since I've just meet you but this is the first time I've seen Gally in two years. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure,"

"You really are his friend, aren't you?"

That seemed to throw Thomas out of balance. He must have shown it, as the woman looked at the floor for a moment and then continued,

"It's just that since he became a knight, he's only brought two or three other knights when he visits me but... They seem so rigid, standing over the door and barely talking to him. But you are different. You're not a knight and yet he brought you along to meet me, not just sitting on the couch and pretending to listen." she offers him a smile, "so I wanna thank you."

"It-It's nothing! Really, there are another four of us whom he is friends with."

"Is that so?"

Thomas nods.

"If you are really a close friend of Gally and know about the supernatural then you must know about his current task." she pauses for a moment, and Thomas thinks she's not going to say anything else but then she stands up and sits beside him on the couch, looking at her hands before speaking again. "Have you met _him_? If so, please tell me... Is he as bad as they say?"

"Who, Aris? No... I mean, he's not a bad person. Sure, he can be handful sometimes but he's not actually bad. That's what I think."

"That's what you think, yet you know why he was punished. That they think of him as a monster."

"People also think that werewolves are monsters, and I sometimes agreed with them. But my godmother told me once: Not all monsters do monstrous things."

Diana smiles so softly and gently at him that it soothes Thomas. She brings a hand to caress his cheek, "Like you."

The touch is so soft and with so much care that he wonders if that's how a soothing hand from a mom feels like. She takes her hand back. Gally comes out of the kitchen with a bottle of water, giving it to Thomas, and putting a cup of tea in the coffee table -for his mom.

"Mom, I would really like to stay here but we need to go back. Can't have Aris alone for more than an hour and even more with the rest in an environment they don't know. But before I go, headmaster Hawkzile wanted to know if you had any..." his eyes move from her to Thomas and back to his mom, as if he were hesitating, "visions?"

"Of course."

The strawberry blonde woman stands up and goes to sit on the table at the dining room. Gally nods and takes out a piece of paper, putting it over the table in front of his mother as well as a pencil. He takes a step aside. Diana puts a strand of hair behind her ear and goes to grab the pencil from the table. Once she has it on her grasp, her eyes fall to the paper. She stares at the blank piece of paper for a while, hand motionless over the paper. For a moment, Thomas thought that nothing would happen, but then her hand started moving over the paper as she wrote. Her eyes never blinked; they were glued to the paper and she seemed to be in a trance. She got closer to the paper and now Thomas felt a little tremor going down his spine as he saw her writing harder into the paper. Her movements grew harder and faster, her hand never separating from the pencil or the paper.

_"Mom."_

At that, the woman stops all movement and drops the pencil on the table, her eyes finally leaving the paper and going to her son. They also seemed to change. Seconds ago it seemed like she was possessed or something, but now she was back to normal. Gally takes the paper and after reading it -Thomas didn't knew what it said-, he folded and kept it in his pocket.

"Thanks, mom. We really have to go back now."

Diana nods and goes to stand up, holding her arms open for Gally to hug her. He did, although he seemed a little reluctant. Once they finished their hug, Gally went to open the door and Thomas was about to follow when a hand over his wrist stopped him. He turned to the strawberry blonde woman,

"Thomas, can I ask you a favor?"

Thomas stares at her, confused and intrigued at what she wanted from him.

At the outside of the house, Gally was looking at his wrist watch while waiting for the werewolf to come out. Thomas exited the house and nodded to the tall blond, who nodded back and they went to get a cab to go back at the Academy.

 

* * *

 

The two teens went back to the Academy and went to locate their friends; they found them over the field, sitting over the tables that were there underneath the trees so the sun didn't affected them. Thomas stopped for a moment while Gally continued walking towards them, not noticing that the werewolf wasn't following. Aris was the first to say a comment involving Gally, which made the tall sandy blond to smack the back of his head and make the rest of them chuckle. Newt turned to where Thomas was and waved at him, inviting him to come to them. As he made his way to his pack, he remembered what Gally's mom asked him before he left:

 

_"Thomas, can I ask you a favor?"_

_Thomas, a little uncertain, nodded, "Sure."_

_"Please take care of my son. I know he's not a little kid anymore but..._

 

Thomas turns to look at his pack, who were laughing at something that Minho had said. His eyes fell over Gally, who had his arms crossed in front of his chest and had his eyes closed while laughing.

 

_"...he's all I have left."_

 

The brunet werewolf approached the pack and sat beside Newt, taking his hand in his and intertwining their fingers. The blond smiled at him.

"Man, I'm starving!" Minho said, "Who wants to go get some food?"

They all turn to Gally, "The Council won't be able to see us 'till tomorrow. I'm in for food."

"Let's go eat!" Minho yelled, pumping his fist into the air. The rest of them agreed and proceeded to stand up and go to the cafeteria. As they made their way to the cafeteria, Thomas kept thinking about that favor. She didn't have to ask him that. He would do it anyways. They're his pack and he would do whatever he could do for his friends. For his pack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it's a short chapter but I just found out that I have an exam tomorrow and I had no idea! I thought it was going to be next week! Ahhhh! Now I have to study like hell! And for the chapter, the next one will be bigger, I promise!
> 
> Besides that, what do you think of the chapter? New settings, new characters, including Gally's mom: Diana Castellan (face claim: the beautiful Holland Roden), and of course, new troubles.


	8. Belle Reve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey hey! Here's the new chapter and I really hope you like it! Any doubts or questions don't be shy and ask me! :)  
> Oh, before I forget! Go and check runeswolves new Newtmas fic called "Daybreak". It's an assassins & hitmen fic and it's so good!!

Swords are heard clashing over the extensive hallway, meaning two or more persons were fighting. One of the swords is swung away and it clattered on the ground. Thomas looks at his sword on the floor. The brunet werewolf takes a step backwards, the sword sticking into the ground where he had been standing seconds ago. Thomas looks up from the sword to his adversary, eyes glowing gold and claws bared, ready to take on the enemy. The trouble was, the enemy was dressed in a shinning armor, much like the knights in the Luna Nova Academy. Which was exactly where they were. And here they were, fighting against one of the trained knights.

"Minho, get out of here!"

"I'm not leaving you!"

Thomas manages to avoid another attack with the sword, effectively grabbing the pommel, twisting and throwing the knight to the ground; he turns to where Minho was standing and yelled

"Minho, just go!"

Thomas turns around to face the knight and Minho watches in horror as the sword manages to get into his best friend's perimeter and in seconds it's slicing his head in half and blood pours out from it as Thomas' body falls to the ground—

Minho wakes up and screams. He instantly turns on the light, and sees Thomas sitting on his bed, hair tussled for being woke up so suddenly. He sees Thomas is alright and sighs in relief, "Oh, Thomas. Your head's fine."

Thomas looks at him confused, "And you have...pretty eyes." Minho looks around the room for a moment, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Sorry I woke you up." he tries to go back to sleep.

"You sure you're fine? You reek of fear."

"It's just... I've been having these nightmares and..." he tries to explain but he doesn't know how. Thomas doesn't press; he waits for his friend to find the right words. "It's like being 5 years old again, after watching a scary movie at night. The most frustrating thing is that most of the time I can't even remember what were they about."

"And the one that you just had?"

Minho was struggling whether he should tell his best friend about it or not. He didn't want to worry him.

"Can't remember."

Thomas stares at him and Minho wonders if he's trying to hear his heartbeat to tell if he's lying to him, or maybe he's just worried too. Either way, Minho shakes it off and goes to turn off the light.

"Sorry I woke you up."

"Yeah,"

He turns the light off and they lie down again, Minho staring at the ceiling while Thomas turns his back to him. Minutes later Thomas was deep in sleep but Minho stayed awake in case he had that nightmare again. He didn't want to have it. Still lying on his back, he eyes his best friend's back and feels a tug on his chest. He doesn't want that.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, the pack was up and ready to go to have some breakfast. Thomas had already left to the cafeteria with Newt, deciding to leave Minho rest some more time. He knew that the Asian probably didn't sleep last night after he woke up from his nightmare. But when his stomach complained, Minho had to open his eyes and get up. He changed clothes and went to the cafeteria, walking over the hall. Yesterday while Gally and Thomas left, the rest of the pack went and investigated all they could, including where the cafeteria was. Walking over the hall to go to the cafeteria, Minho rubbed his eyes and let out a long yawn. As he yawned, Teresa approached him.

"Hey. Did you fell out of bed or something?"

"Kind of."

"Are you still having those nightmares?"

"Yeah. And this one was particularly horrible."

"Listen," she puts a hand over his shoulder, "You helped me when I couldn't sleep and thanks to you I'm getting some sleep. Now I'm going to do the same with you."

"You're going to get me some of those pills?"

"No..." she chuckled, "Your problem is different than mine. But that doesn't mean that you can't ask Aris for help. Maybe he knows a way."

"Okay. I'll do it." he smiles, "Thanks, T."

Teresa smiles, "Now let's get some food, shall we?"

They walked into the cafeteria and went to the line to get their breakfast. As they were getting their last stuff, Minho spotted their friends sitting in one of the tables at the middle. It was just like back at school. As they approached them they heard that Gally and Aris were fighting about something.

Gally was speaking to Aris, "I've already spoke with headmaster Hawkzile and he said that since the Council is busy he could take the cuffs off but he needs the forms to do it. So hurry up and finish your food; you're coming with me."

"Where?" asks Minho as he and Teresa sit.

Aris frowns, "Why the hell do I need to go too?"

"Where?" asks Minho again.

"Because I don't trust you as far as I can throw."

"That's rude."

 _"Where?!"_ yells exasperated Minho, having Aris' attention who kindly explains to him.

"It's a high-level prison for supernatural criminals. They are highly guarded and their cells are even modified for every prisoner, according to their species or abilities. Belle Reve Penitentiary. It means _'beautiful dream'_ in French. Although the correct French would be _'Beau Reve'_ , since _'Reve'_ is a noun of masculine gender. But who cares?" he grins, "Isn't that wonderful?"

"Why would you call a prison a _'beautiful dream'_?" asked Teresa.

"Why would you call it a _'beautiful'_ anything?" was what Minho asked.

"That's where you...?" starts asking Thomas but he doesn't know if he should ask at all.

"Used to be held? Yes." he turns to Gally, "Which is why I don't want to go there."

"I don't care. You have to."

Aris moans, "Okay, fine! But I'm gonna complain the whole time."

They continue eating. To say that the food was good was an understatement. It was actually the second plate of spaghetti that Minho had. While eating, Teresa noticed a few eyes around them looking at them. The knights were eating, but some of them were staring at them or sending glances. She even saw ones that were talking and pointing at them.

She puts a strand of hair behind her ear, "Some knights are pointing at us."

"They're not pointing at us." Aris says, "It's me they're pointing at."

Minho frowns, "Why?"

Aris gives him a look and raises his cuffed hand. Not the one with a pair with Thomas, but the one he usually wears. The one that doesn't allow him to do magic.

"They know who I am. They're looking at me like I'm some freak show or a serial killer."

"Doesn't that bother you?" asks Newt.

"Nah. Once you get use to it..." he doesn't finish. He stares at his half empty plate.

A shy knight approaches Gally and starts asking him something; Aris takes that as a chance to squirm out of there. He puts a finger in front of his lips to the pack and then leaves the table. The others don't say anything. Aris left the cafeteria to be alone for a moment. Sure, he said to Newt that you get used to it but the truth was... He shakes his head. No. He does not care what others think about him. He continues walking over the hallway when someone's hand curls around his wrist and pulls him away from the hall and over a corner where no one can see them. Before he has his face against the wall, Aris manages to get a good look of the person: the tall guy with black hair they had encountered when they first came here. Castor. The guy presses him against the wall and gets closer to his ear,

"Why is everyone so obsessed about you? What I see is a fragile feminine witch with no magic and no way to protect himself in case of an attack. Where's your magic, huh?"

Instead of gasping and struggling like someone in his position would do, in an instant Aris reached out a hand as he twirled them around, changing positions. He also managed to take the guy's sword from his waist and had the sword pressed against his neck, not cutting but barely touching his skin.

"Your mom didn't told you not to play with fire?"

Castor growls but he doesn't move; the point of the sword touching his skin.

"Come on, kill me. Kill me and they will burn you like the witch you are."

Aris actually seems to be deciding. "I _could_ kill you," he presses the sword closer and watches as Castor closes his eyes in horror, trying not to gulp, "But why waste my time? You're not willing to die for the cause." he separates from the knight and tosses him his sword. "Next time, have some guts to at least stand on your word."

If glares could kill, Castor would have killed Aris two times already. But the guy didn't say anything else; he raised his head high and pushed pass Aris and stomps away. Aris watches him leave and lets out a breath he didn't knew he was holding in. His hand goes to touch his cuffed wrist and as soon as his fingers touch it, he hears another voice behind him. He turns and finds Gally.

"Hey. Where were you?"

"I saw a beautiful bird with a yellow belly and decided to follow it. Too bad he must have seen you and he flew away." he fakes a grin, "Why? You were worried about me?"

"No, but if you get yourself in troubles, who do you think they're going to blame?"

Aris moans, "Why did you have to say that? Now that gives me tons of ideas!" he shrugs, "Well, I should better change. If we're going to Belle Reve I at least gotta look decent, right?" without more to say he turns around and goes back to his room. Gally watches him leave, knowing something was bothering the witch.

Back at the cafeteria, the rest of the pack were finishing eating when one guy -weirdly, he wasn't wearing an armor- approached Minho, tapped him over the shoulder and whispered something in his ear. Minho turned to him and smiled,

"Thanks, dude." as the guy left, Minho turns to Teresa, "The next match is going to start now. Let's go, T."

"Oh, shoot!" she grabs a napkin and wipes her mouth.

Thomas raises an eyebrow, "Match?"

"Oh, you gotta see this, man! Two guys start a match wearing armor and with swords and is so awesome!"

"Come on, it's going to start now!" Teresa says as she gets up.

Minho starts pulling Thomas from his shirt, "Come, come, come!"

Thomas looks at Newt, who nods and gets up too. They hold hands and decide to follow their friends.

 

* * *

 

Gally and Aris arrived at the penitentiary. After a guard told them where they had to go -as if they hadn't been there before-, they walked to where a woman with pointy ears was waiting for them. Gally was the one to talk to her while Aris was looking around, wanting to be anywhere but here. Once Gally finished talking with the lady, she turned to the corner and disappeared. Gally turned to the witch and said,

"Wait here, and don't touch anything."

"What am I, five years-old?"

Gally doesn't answer; he just turns around and walks away, disappearing into the corner. Aris does stay in his place... but why should he stay in here if he could go and take a look in how this place looks since he left? A grin appears over his face and he soon leaves his position. He walks around the place, trying not to get too away from where Gally had left him. Much to his surprise, this place hadn't changed at all. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Who knows. He comes to a stop where the next hall of cells are when he sees a corrections officer approaching him, not noticing the witch until he raises his sight. Aris recognized him.

He smirked, "Hey, officer Parks. Missed me?"

The guard's eyes widen in fear and he runs from the same way he had come from. Aris is still smirking when a loud-like snort laughter is heard coming from the halls to his side. Aris turns to where the voice came.

"Serves him right. He's a scumb bag." a male voice said.

Looking around and making sure nobody is looking, Aris starts walking towards the voice. He looks at the doors -the unguarded doors, that's weird- and he remembers what it was like being in one of those. He continues his way and at the distance he can see a pair of hands coming out of the barred window in the door and hanging out between the bars. Aris comes to a stop in front of the door and soon a face appears. The guy -he seemed around their age- had light skin, hazel-green eyes and medium brown hair -sides cut short, leaving the hair on the top longer. He had remarkable dark brown and well-defined eyebrows that highlighted his green eyes ([x](http://68.media.tumblr.com/e6e78473c6e2d1f12ad563eac2eec8b5/tumblr_o0kfaknA8O1s6h3qoo1_400.gif)). For what Aris could see he was dressed in dark clothes -like many of the inmates. Overall he was a good-looking guy, and he probably knew it.

"Why isn't anyone guarding the doors?" is what Aris asks to the guy.

"Shift change times."

"This isn't a containing cell. What are you doing here?"

The guy smirks, "I made a little ruckus before you arrived. They need to make those cells far more resistant for someone like me."

Aris raises an eyebrow, "Someone like you?"

In response to the question, the guy -who Aris still didn't know his name- looked at him and seconds later his eyes glow golden. The type of golden Thomas' do.

"You're a werewolf."

"Clever little witch." Aris doesn't ask how he knows he's a witch. The guy nods at his wrist, "I can see by that cuff that you also know what is like to be in this position."

"Not anymore."

"What, are you rehabilitated?" he snorts, "I don't think so. People like us don't ever change, which is why we're in here. And yet, you're on the other side of this door instead on inside one."

"Let's just say I'm on probation."

The guy raises an eyebrow, "More like supervised release."

"Whatever." he lets out a sigh, "Even though I can be out of this hellhole I still can't use my magic whenever I can."

"That sucks." the guy gave him a tiny smile of solidarity. "But I know how that feels. I can't even glow my eyes at the guards when I'm in my cell."

Aris returned the smile, "That sucks."

The guy grinned at the exchange. They stared at each other and Aris was about to say something else when a voice interrupted him,

_"Aris? Where are you?"_

He heard Gally's voice calling for him and turns his head to where the voice came.

The guy rested his head over his arms still hanging out of the door, "Go, little witch. Your friend is calling."

Aris stares at him like he wants to say something else; like he wants the other to say something else but he turns around and walks away, and even as he's walking away, he can feel the werewolf's eyes on him. He arrives to Gally's side, the tall blond holding a folder on his hand.

"Where were you?" he asks.

Aris point to where he came from, "Just looking around. This place seems the same."

"Yeah. Let's go. I have to take this to headmaster Hawkzile so I can remove the cuff from Thomas and you."

"Finally!"

Gally turned to the woman who had received them and nodded at her, thanking her before turning around and walking to the exit. As he walked, Aris glanced over his shoulder to the hall before the doors closed behind him.

 

* * *

 

Thomas was lying on his back over his bed, one arm behind his head acting as a pillow. He was relaxing when a knock came to his door. The door opens and Newt peeks his head inside,

"Hey, you." he enters the room, closing the door behind him.

"Hey," Thomas sits up on the bed and makes space for Newt to sit beside him.

The blond witch sits and rests his hands over his lap, smiling at his boyfriend, "The fight was good, right?"

"Yeah. I've just seen those kinds of fights on TV and movies."

"I think it would be great to learn how to fight like that."

"You mean in general or you mean as in you?"

Newt shrugs, "As in me."

"Well, of course it would be awesome to learn how to fight like that but you have magic, Newt. That's kind of badass, you know?"

"Yeah, but..." he trails off.

"What?"

Newt shakes his head, "Nothing."

"It's not nothing. Hey," he grabs Newt's hand, "You are great with your magic. Just needs some polishing and done. I'm the same."

"Yeah, I know but... I sometimes wonder if I'll be as good as Aris. Or as my mum or grandma."

"Hey. Come here,"

His arms go around Newt and he brings them down until they're lying down on the bed, lying close to each other on their sides, facing the other. Thomas' arm rests over the blond's hip and uses the other one as a pillow.

"You will. I know it. I sometimes wonder if I'll ever be as good as my dad."

Newt looks up at him, "And what do you do?"

"I say to myself that as long as I have my pack I can do anything."

Newt smiles and leans up to give him a peck on the lips. He then lays his head over Thomas' broad chest and closes his eyes. In return, the brunet holds him closer and they lie together over the brunet's bed.

 

* * *

 

Minho walks to Aris' room and knocks on the door. He waits 'till he hears a _'come in!'_ coming from Aris, so he opens the door and enters the room, closing it behind him. Aris was sitting over the middle of the bed with one of his suitcases over his lap.

"Oh, it's you! Good." he pats his suitcase and then puts it over the floor beside his bed. Minho decides not to question about it. He extends his cuffed hand -not the new one, but the one that had a pair with Thomas'- "Hey, can you take this off? I need to do something."

Minho takes it off and then proceeds to talk, "Sorry to... interrupt. Can I ask you for a favor?"

"Another?" he grins, "Wow, handsome, you must really want to spend time with me."

"No, it's- it's not-- Forget about it." Minho turns around, about to leave.

Aris goes to grab his wrist, "Hey, I'm messing with you. Now, what is it?"

Minho sits over the edge of the bed, facing Aris, "Well... Remember that you helped Teresa with her sleeping problems?" the lighter brunet nods, "Well, I have... kind of a similar problem but..."

"But?"

"But I keep having this like... dreams. But they don't feel like dreams."

"Nightmares?"

"That's the problem. At first I thought they were but recently they've been so... vivid. Like..." he looks around the room, trying to find the right words. "Once I was at the cafeteria and I feel asleep and had this... strange dream where Teresa fell from the stairs. It had been so real that when I woke up I thought it wasn't a dream but like a memory or something. Then, the most bizarre thing happened: it occurred."

Aris frowns, "What?"

"Teresa was over the stairs and was about to fall but I prevented it. It was like in my dream, just that I wasn't supposed to keep her from hitting the ground."

Aris stays still, something in his eyes was different. Minho didn't say anything else. It seemed like the witch knew something and was going to-

"I can't help you with that."

Minho blinks a few times, "You can't?"

"No... But I know someone who might know."

"Who?"

The door opens, and Gally enters the room, holding the same folder that he had when they came out of Belle Reve. Aris' eyes fall over it and an idea comes to mind.

"Gally! Good timing,"

The tall sandy blond stops and raises an eyebrow, "What?"

"Minho here has something to ask you." he gets up from his bed and pats Minho's shoulder, "Go on,"

Minho looks between the witch and Gally. Gally raises an eyebrow, obviously waiting for him to ask whatever he wanted to ask.

"Well, I, uh, been having these strange dreams... but they're not like dreams, you know?" at the eyebrow raise in sign of confusion Minho knows he should try it again, "At first they were just glimpses of things; you know, like when you dream you're going to eat an specific thing and the next day that's exactly what you're going to eat? But after coming back from the Underworld... I've been having more concrete dreams. And sometimes these dreams... do happen. Do you know what it is?"

Gally stands still, also with a thinking face. He must really be thinking. "I have an idea of what it might be, but to be sure we're gonna have to go somewhere. I can't tell you where right now; you just have to wait."

"Okay, okay."

Knowing that he might get some answers is enough for Minho. He nods and gets up from the bed, "Thanks." he looks at Aris, "Thanks," and then he walks to the door and exits the room. Silence falls over the room. Aris turns to look at Gally as the sandy blond puts the folder over his bed and turns to take off his shoes. Aris gets closer to the bed but not enough to have his attention.

"So, you're going to help him?"

"Yeah, but not right now. Right now I have to take these to headmaster Hawkzile so he can remove the cuffs." he says grabbing the folder and showing it to Aris; he then puts it back on the bed.

While Gally turns his back to him, Aris makes a flick with his wrist and the document changes. He grabs the folder and acts like he's reading them, "The documents? But there's a missing seal stamp."

Gally turns to him, frowning, "What? No way."

"Aha," Aris said as he nodded at the document which Gally grabbed and read once more. His eyes widen as he realized the missing part.

"But I was sure it was in order."

"You sure? Maybe you were tired and overlook it. It happens."

Gally groans, "Now I'll have to go back to Belle Reve and have to make the procedure again." with that he goes to the door.

 _'Yes!'_ Aris goes to follow him, "I'll come with you."

Gally stops in his tracks and raises an eyebrow at him, "You want to come? Why?"

"Oh, well, I just thought you would want me to stay close to you, but if you don't want that, ok. I'll wander around the academy, if you don't mind." he added a smile.

"No way in hell you're staying alone. You're coming with me."

 

* * *

 

As Gally went to check the files again, Aris slipped away and towards the cells in look for the one he visited last time. There was no guarantee that _he_ would be there but it was worth the shot. Once he stood in front of the door with the open window, he peeked inside and found the tall guy resting over his back on the floor, his arms under his head as a pillow while he was staring at the ceiling. The guy turned his head to the door and once he saw Aris he grinned and went to stand up,

"Two times in a row? I should feel flattered." he says once he's standing in front of the door. "So? What brings you back to this lovely hellhole?"

Aris shrugs, "Nothing, just... Kinda fun to talk to you."

"Me? Fun to talk to?" he chuckles, "Oh, love, you have no idea." he sighs, "Too bad that guard isn't here right now. I would love to see his face once he sees you again."

"Yeah, but you can't always get what you want."

"I'm with you in that, Aris." at the way the witch raised an eyebrow surprised, the other guy explained himself, "I heard that other guy call your name before you left."

"Well, then I'm in disadvantage because I still don't know your name."

The attractive guy grinned, "Theo."

Aris chuckles, "But of course your name would mean _'god'_."

The guy -Theo- grins, holding his hands up while shrugging, "Hey, I didn't pick it. And actually it's _'God's gift'_ , but..." he shrugs again, like saying it doesn't matter.

Aris rolls his eyes while shaking his head. They stay in silence for a couple of seconds before Theo decides to speak again,

"So, when are you leaving?" at the look Aris gives him he continues, "Not like that. I thought you weren't living near here and that you're here just for visit."

"If things go right, maybe tomorrow."

"So this will be the last time we see?"

"...Maybe."

"Maybe as in _'next time I come back I'll visit you'_ , or as in _'I'll may be locked back in here'_?"

"Jerk,"

Theo shrugs. Aris finds a smile appearing over his face as he turns around and starts walking back to where Gally had left him. As he's walking away, the werewolf yells

"If you do leave tomorrow, have some manners and come back to at least say goodbye!"

Aris stops and looks over his shoulder at the hands hanging out of the cell. He smiles and waves his hand, walking back to his spot. Just as he arrived, Gally came back, the same folder over his hand.

"Now I double checked it in case something was missing. I won't be coming back here later nor tomorrow." he looks at Aris, "You ready?"

"Sure,"

 

* * *

 

Back at the Academy, Gally was over the headmaster's office to give him the documents he needed to take the cuffs off Thomas and Aris. The old man was sitting over his desk, reading the files with a stern face while Gally was standing in front of the desk, head high and hands behind him. Much like a soldier. The man cleared his throat and put down the documents, looking up at Gally,

"Alright, then. Everything seems to be in order," Gally internally let out a relieved sigh, "I'll take the cuffs off tomorrow morning."

Gally bows his head, "Thank you, headmaster Hawkzile."

"Are you glad to be back, Mr. Castellan?"

"Of course, sir. It makes me happy to be back at my Alma mater."

"You're welcome to stay a little longer, if you want to."

"Thank you again, sir, but I was given a task and I will fulfill it. Now, if you excuse me. I promised someone I would help them with something."

And true to his word, half an hour later Gally and Minho were over Gally's mom's house; the raven male sitting over the dining table with Diana sitting in front of him on the other side of the table. Gally was standing with his arms crossed over his chest, standing at one side of his mom.

"So, is he an Oracle?" Gally asks.

Diana stares at Minho, not blinking once as she inspections him. The raven male just stayed still, his eyes going everywhere but in front of the beautiful woman.

"No." there's a moment filled with silence before she continues, "But he's a seer."

"A what?" asks Minho.

"At first you just get glimpses of future events. Nothing too big. But once you start, you get clearer and clearer visions. It's one of the three classes of clairvoyance."

"Clairvoyance? Wha- what?"

"Precognition is the perception of events before they happen. And-

"No, no, I know what that is. I've heard it on TV, it's the alleged psychic ability to see events in the future and stuff. What I meant was a _'what'_ as in _'what the heck'_."

The strawberry blonde woman offers him a smile, "For what you told me, your dreams and that, it's because your powers are manifesting. Maybe even in the future you can develop Psychometry."

"I don't even want to know what that is." he looks at Gally, "Are you sure she's right?"

"She's the only person I know who knows about this stuff and has those kinds of visions."

Minho huffs, looking completely lost. "So what now? How can I... control this? How can I turn it off?"

"Oh, sweetheart, that's not how it works. You can't just _'turn this off'_." Minho looks down at his feet, "But you can learn to control it."

"And what good can this be? What's the use of having these visions?"

He feels a hand under his chin and pushing him up to look at the woman in front of him. "It can help you save the people you care about. Your family. Your friends."

Minho stares at her. This is what he and Teresa spoke about after coming back from the Underworld. Thomas is a werewolf, Aris and Newt have magic and Gally his sword. But them? They're simple humans. That's what they wanted: being able to protect themselves without involving their friends. Being able to fight. Being able to save their friends. And Minho had that chance now. He grimaces and nods at Diana.

 

* * *

 

The sun was coming down, the sky a tone of orange with yellow. Soon it would be a black night and it would be time to go to sleep. But right now, the pack was over the cafeteria, sitting over the same table they had breakfast and talking.

Minho stares at them, "Okay, I'm going to sound like a total madman but..." he holds up a forkful of spaghetti, "This one taste exactly like the one in the school cafeteria."

Thomas and the others snort at that. Minho makes an offended face but either ways he eats the spaghetti. Gally comes back from getting his food, sitting beside Teresa and putting his tray on the table. Minho takes another sip from his cup and clears his throat,

"So, when are we going back?" he feels Gally looking at him, "...Not that I don't like it in here. This place is great!"

"Chill out, handsome." Aris says, "Gally already has the documents for the old geezer to take the cuffs off, so maybe tomorrow at morning, right?" he asks turning to the tall sandy blond.

"Yes, I actually gave them to headmaster Hawkzile and he said that everything was in order, so if you have your stuff packed in the morning we can leave as soon as they take off the cuffs."

Minho grins, "Great! I was kind of missing my own bed."

"I was missing my own bathroom." Teresa says.

"I just don't like this place." Aris says plainly. The others chuckle at the look Gally gives him.

As Teresa starts telling them about one of the fights she watched Minho stares at his friends. Gally was sitting beside Aris, arms crossed in front of him over the table. The lighter witch had a cup in his left hand as he took a sip from it. Thomas and Newt were sitting close, their shoulders touching. Even with their hands under the table, Minho knew they were holding hands, obviously resting over Newt's lap. Teresa was beside him, putting a strand of hair behind her ear as she spoke. She says something funny and they all laughed at that. Newt hides his face over Thomas' chest as he laughed. Aris patted Gally's arm and tried to cling to it. Teresa clapped her hands in front of her and smiled, her eyes shining.

Minho smiles at them and knows what he wants to do. He wants to protect them. All of them. He wants to and he will.

 

* * *

 

At night while everyone else was sleeping peacefully, a knight was walking over the halls while doing his guard. Everything was quiet, just his steps were heard. He continues walking when he feels a presence behind him and quickly draws his sword and stands in a fighting position but there's no one there. Still clutching the sword, his eyes scan the halls and around him. When he realizes that there's no danger, he puts his sword back in its place and continues walking over the hall, reaching the part where the moon can be seen and it illuminates the empty hall. Although it wasn't that empty as the knight thought. As he's approaching the end of the hall, a shadow appears behind him. The knight barely has time to turn around when something shines with the moonlight and seconds later his blood is splattering over the wall.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What do you think? Now we know what Minho is: He's a seer! Did you like it?  
> And aside from that another werewolf, Theo, appears (face claim: Cody Christian). Will we see more of him? And what about the end, huh?
> 
> note: What Theo meant when he told Aris that his name's meaning was "god's gift was because Theodore (which is his full name) comes from the Greek Theodoros, meaning "god-given". Aris just said Theo from theos "god".


	9. Desperate Souls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey hey! Only two chapters left for the second season to end!
> 
> So listen, on the week from 9 to the 16 of April I won't be able to upload anything since I'm going on vacations with my older brother~ But the week after the sixteen I'll upload, I promise!  
> But it will be okay since the two final chapters are out before I leave, and that week when I won't upload anything can be like a separation from the third season, don't you think?
> 
> Anyways, enjoy this chapter!

Teresa jolts awake on her bed, sitting straight and breathing heavily as if she had run a marathon. With the moonlight illuminating the room, Newt didn't have to turn on the light to see the raven girl. He sat up on his own bed too, now awake by the sudden move of the girl,

"Hey, you okay?"

"...Yeah. Just..." she looks at her pills bottle over the nightstand, "Just forgot to do something before going to sleep."

Newt seems unconvinced that she's fine, but he doesn't want to push it so he nods and lies down on his bed. Teresa watches him lie down and turn his back to her; slowly she picks up the orange bottle and pops out a pill. Grabbing the bottle of water she had beside the pills she takes the pill and then takes a sip of water, swallowing slowly. Putting everything on its place, she lies down and stares at the ceiling. Her heart was still beating fast and she didn't know why.

 

* * *

 

The next morning is quiet peaceful. At least it was to the pack. As soon as they woke up, Thomas, Aris and Gally went to headmaster Hawkzile's office to get the cuffs removed. Now walking back to their rooms, Thomas was rubbing his free wrist. It was uncomfortable wearing the cuff. He eyes at Aris' black leather magic-absorbing cuff, and wonders if it's uncomfortable for him too wearing it all the time. As they were walking through the hall, they found Minho and Newt standing a few feet away from a crowd of knights. Thomas got beside his boyfriend and touched his back to make his presence known. Newt turns to him and offers him a smile, but then he turns back to the front where several of the young knights and adult ones were standing together around something. They were whispering and they seemed worried.

"What's going on?" asks Gally with a frown.

"I don't know." answers Newt.

Looking around, Minho spots a small and lanky guy standing near them and he touched his shoulder to have his attention, "Hey, you seem kinda nice. Do you know what happened?"

"One of the knights was murdered last night."

The pack freezes. Thomas and Newt looked at each other and grabbing into each other hands they all approach the scene. They opened their way through the knights and as they got closer Thomas got the smell of blood. Once standing on the front the pack stared at big red spot on the ground and the splattering pattern over the wall. There was a lot of blood but there was no body. Thomas' nose got the smell of more blood and he turns to the left to see the floor where it showed signs of dragging. Letting go of Newt's hand, he starts following where the dragging lead. The pack followed him. Thomas continued following the scent of blood and the dragging marks when the smell of blood and guts got too much to his nose he had to cover it, accidentally raising his head. But at the moment he raised his head he saw why the smell was so hard. There, stuck with a sword in the wall and dripping blood, was the mutilated body of a knight.

"Oh, shit."

 

* * *

 

After calling to the adult knights to take care of the body on the wall, Thomas and the pack ran back to their rooms. Newt told them Teresa was still sleeping. Minho approached Teresa's door and knocks on it,

"Hey, Teresa. Wake up." He waits but nothing happens. Nor a voice or a sound. He knocks again, "T, come on. This is important."

Aris approaches him, "You won't be able to wake her up. She's sleeping with Prince Valium."

As Thomas and Newt approach them, the Asian turns to the lighter brunet witch, "So what do we do?"

"What do you mean?"

Minho points at the hall where they came from, "Did you didn't see the guy stuck in the wall with blood dripping and guts out? We need to get the hell out of here ASAP!"

"Who could've done something like that?" asks Newt.

"Some sick bastard, that's who." Minho says while leaning against the wall.

They see Gally walking towards them through the hallway. He had gone to see headmaster Hawkzile about the body.

"Do they know anything?" asks Thomas.

Gally shakes his head, "No. They don't have any idea who could've done this."

Newt is the next to ask, "Do they know at what time it happened?"

"They think that maybe at midnight while we were all asleep."

"As if that didn't give me the creeps..." mutters Minho turning his back to them.

"We can still leave, right?" asks Aris.

"They're not going to let anyone leave until they have this sorted out."

"What?!" yells Minho turning back at him. "But we don't know anything. We were all sleeping!"

"Doesn't matter. Under their eyes we're all suspects."

"Oh, that's just great!"

"Min, calm down." Thomas says.

"Don't you get it? We're trapped in here, and if there's someone killing people I definitely don't wanna stay here."

"It's just one person, okay?" Aris says trying to calm him, "What if someone came into the academy, was found out by the knight, they fought and he ended up killing the knight and ran?"

"And what, he _accidentally_ stuck him with his own sword in the wall on his way out?"

Newt turns to look at Gally, "Can we do something?"

"Cooperate. And after that we'll be able to leave."

They heard footsteps and turn to see the grey haired knight -Mikael Hausen- running towards them.

"Oh, you're here!"

As he stops in front of Gally, the tall sandy blond asks "Is something wrong, master Hausen?"

"Bastian wants to see you."

Without anything to say, Gally nods and turns to the hall where the other came from and walks straight. They all watch his disappear at the distance. Hausen turns to them,

"Are you alright?" he asks in a soft voice that contrasts with his muscled body.

The pack nods.

"Will you be able to answer some questions about the incident?"

Thomas nods and answers for the pack, "Sure,"

Hausen smiles softly and nods. "Please, this way."

Gally arrived at Master Celestine's office, knocked three times and waited. After almost a minute later he heard a male voice saying 'come in', so he turned the knob and entered the room. What he notices as he came into the office was that it was the same like always. Master Celestine didn't like changing so much. The man with grayish-black hair was waiting over the window, hands on his back and eyes watching whatever was happening outside. Maybe the green of the field or the blue of the sky. As Gally closed the door, the man turned to him.

Gally took some steps to the front, "Master Hausen said you wanted to see me."

"Indeed." he separates from the window and walks towards the tall sandy blond. He stops in front of him and puts his hands over Gally's shoulder, "Are you alright, my dear child?"

"Yes, I am."

"You didn't see anything?"

"I'm afraid no. I was sleeping, so were my friends." Gally thought it was important to mention the pack, in case the Academy wanted to question them. Or point fingers at them.

Bastian nods and steps back, returning to his normal poise. "Are you keeping an eye on the witch?"

"Even have to share rooms."

The other nods again, "Good. Remember: People like him, they don't ever change. _Ever._ "

Gally stared and nodded.

"How's your mother?"

"She's doing fine. She told me she got some herbs from you."

"Yes, for that heat rash she had two weeks ago."

"Thanks."

"Anything for you and your mother, my child. You know that."

Bastian starts walking back to his desk when Gally clears his throat,

"Can I ask something?"

"Sure,"

"Can my friends and I... go back to Beacon Hills? We didn't see anything since we were sleeping, and besides neither of them would do something like that."

Bastian gives him a look, eyebrow raised as he sits down, "Neither? I thought I heard one of them was a werewolf."

"Yes-

"And another is a witch."

"Yes, but-

"And then we have _that_ witch."

"Aris has a magic-absorbing device, and everyone in here knows that they mustn't remove it."

The grayish-black haired man stares at him, considering it for a moment. Gally doesn't move at all.

"I'll talk to headmaster Hawkzile about it. I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you." he bows his head.

With that, Gally turns around and walks towards the door. Not a single word comes out of either their lips after that. The door closes behind Gally and he leaves, going back to the rooms.

 

* * *

 

Teresa opens her eyes and is met with the soft light of the morning instead with the dark pitch night like hours ago. Still lying down on the bed, she stretches, closing her eyes for a moment. She then proceeds to sit up and looks over at Newt's neatly made bed. _'So he's up already?'_ Getting up from bed, she decides to change her pajamas and go to get some breakfast. Opening the door, she realizes that it wasn't that early as she thought it was. Several knights were walking over the halls, and the sun wasn't shinning that bright. Maybe it was like 1 p.m. or something? She slept through all the morning? Those pills sure work.

Looking around, she exits her room and goes to take a walk. Maybe she would bump into the guys. As she makes her way through the halls, something tells her to go to the right although she originally was going to the left. She chooses right. As she continued, she noticed a red spot on the floor at the distance. Getting closer to it, she frowns. Crouching, she goes to touch it but realizes what she's doing and stops. She stands up again and looks around. Something feels... off. She doesn't know what but she can feel it. A knight with short brown hair and muscled arms stops near and sees her looking around.

"Hey, lady?"

Teresa turns to look at him but she still seems absentminded.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. Sorry, got lost."

"Where were you going?" he asks as he gets closer to her.

"Um... nowhere, actually."

"How can you get lost when you don't know the course?"

"Good question."

He looks at the other side of the hall and then back at her, "Listen, do you wanna go to the cafeteria for something to eat?"

Teresa smiles, "Sure,"

As they start walking towards the cafeteria, the guy offers her a hand, "I'm Miklos."

She takes it and they shake hands, "Teresa."

Over the field, two guys were sword fighting/training as Gally walked through the hall beside them. While the crowd was interested in the fight, he was far more inside his own mind to even pay attention to something else. His conversation with Master Bastian kept playing over and over his head.

 

**_"Remember: People like him, they don't ever change. Ever."_ **

 

Gally shakes his head and those thoughts away. Sure, the witch could be a lot to take but he wasn't a bad person... was he? Or was Gally getting softer? Maybe both?

_"Hey!"_

He stops after hearing someone yelling and turns to the field to see one knight looking at him,

"Wanna try?" he asks, holding a sword at him.

"No, thanks."

"Aw, come on, man! Just one!"

Gally looked around at the crowd of knights and he knew he couldn't decline with all those eyes on him. The pack was even there. Mentally sighing, he jumps over the window arc and out of the Academy, making his way to the center of the field were the knight had run to get ready. The pack starts applauding at seeing him and he couldn't feel more embarrassed. One skinny knight gave him a sword and a plackart -to cover his torso- but he declined on the plackart. The knight he was going to fight saw that and declined his too so they would be fighting the same. More people approached them because of that. Usually in training, the knights had to wear at least a plackart and helmet, and if they wanted a thigh armour. Just the high trained knights could engage in a fighting training without armors and without the fear of getting hurt real bad.

"Come on, Gally!" he heard Thomas' voice followed by some _whoos_ from Minho.

Before the match started, Gally turned to the crowd and between the pack he saw Aris sitting over one of the tables. The match started and they launched at each other, swords clashing. The whoos and applauds from the crowd were nothing compared to the beating in his ear and the swords swinging. The other knight tried to make a blow at his left side but Gally saw it coming because of the way he stood and managed to dodge it. Before the other could withdraw, Gally hit him on the shoulder with the pommel of his sword and took a step backwards. The other knight groaned as pain shoot towards his shoulder. The excited whooing got louder. He glanced at the crowd and saw the pack but didn't saw Aris. Shit. He avoided the sword just before it hit him on the head and he gave a blow to the right to make his opponent take a step back, and he looked around again but still couldn't see the witch. Where was he?

Another attack came but this time to his legs; he brought his sword down to block the attack and as they hold it there, he turned his attention to the crowd again in an attempt to locate the brunet witch. He saw many faces but neither of them belonged to Aris.

_Dammit!_

He used his strength to push his opponent away from him so he could take a better look through the crowd and because of that he didn't avoid the attack on time. The point sliced over his arm, blood pouring out as he groaned at the pain. The pack fell in silence as the other's applauded. With blood running through his arm and the other knight smiling triumphal it was obvious he had won. Not caring that he just lost a simple fight, Gally saw around once more and finally found Aris standing beside a guy with red hair as they both watch Gally and the winner. The tall sandy blond just clamped a hand on the wound to stop the bleeding, and turned to congratulate the knight with his good arm. He excused himself and as everyone applauded and celebrated the knight's win, he disappeared back into the Academy.

 

* * *

 

Gally went to the infirmary. No one was there at the moment but he didn't mind. Actually, he preferred it that way. His hand was still clenched over his wounded arm and he glanced at it. There was blood, no doubt, but not as much as there could have been. He grabs a clean cloth he finds over the examination table and presses it to his wound. He groans at the pain. The door opens and he expects to find the nurse but instead he stares into pale green eyes. Aris stands in the entryway of the infirmary, staring at Gally as the tall sandy blond presses the cloth to his arm a little too much as he winces in pain. Aris rolls his eyes and moves closer to the tall blond.

"Move your hand away." when Gally doesn't do as he says and just stares at him, he repeats himself, "Move it."

Gally does so, his arm falling to his side; he sits on one of the chairs as Aris goes to grab the things he needs, like more cotton balls, the small bottle of antiseptic over the top shelf and gauze. The witch grabs another chair and places it in front of Gally so he can sit facing the wound. He grabs a clean cotton ball and after pouring some antiseptic on it he brings the cotton to the wound. Making contact made Gally close an eye as it sting. Surprisingly, Aris was giving soft touches over the wound with the cotton ball. Gally groans under his breath and closes his eyes for a moment. They stayed in silence as the other continued cleaning the wound, and when he dropped the cotton balls and went to grab the gauze he spoke,

"What got you distracted?"

"What?"

"You were in a _'knight of Camelot'_ trance-like while fighting, and suddenly you got distracted, and stopped looking your adversary. You were looking over the public like... if you were searching for something. Or someone."

"..." Gally doesn't say anything but he doesn't need to.

"I wasn't going to escape, you know. I couldn't."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You're surrounded by trained knights."

"...That's not it."

He puts the gauze over the wound and secures it tightly while Gally looks up at him, trying to understand what he meant with that. Aris took a step back as he finished.

"There. All done."

Gally looks at his bandaged arm and back at the brunet, "...Thanks."

They stay like that for almost a minute, without moving or saying anything else. Aris goes to open his mouth to say something they're interrupted by the pack entering the infirmary.

"Oh, there you are!" Minho says.

Aris takes a step aside as the pack enters the room to check on the tall sandy blond. As they go and check on Gally, the witch takes advantage of it and leaves the room.

Minho stands beside him, pointing at his arm, "That was a nasty blow."

"Are you alright?" asks Newt.

Gally nods. Noticing that the witch had left and wanting to change the subject he looks around, a slight frown over his face as he asks

"Hey, where's Teresa?"

 

* * *

 

Over the cafeteria, Teresa and Miklos were sitting over a table with their food on the trays and were laughing about something the brunet guy had said.

"No way!" Teresa says still laughing.

"I swear! Then the coach said I had to go and retrieve the ball and I said _'Hell to the no!'_ and everyone got quiet before erupting in laughter. We all had to do 5 extra laps after that."

Teresa continues laughing, her smile reaching her eyes. After arriving at the cafeteria, Miklos invited her lunch and they started talking about different things. She told him why the guys and she were there, and he told her some stories from the Academy.

After calming down, the brunet looks at her as she bites a green apple, "So, do you know how long are you staying?"

The raven girl wipes the corner of her lips before she speaks, "I'm not sure. I mean, we were supposed to leave at morning but considering I'm still here it means we're not."

"Yeah, and I'm not sure you can leave any soon." he says while grabbing his glass of water.

Teresa frowns, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm talking about what happened in the morning." Teresa tilts her head to the right in confusion, "They found a body."

"Oh my god."

"Yes. Apparently he was killed while we were all asleep."

Teresa stops every single thought. Someone was killed while everyone was sleeping. Last night. Last night as in when she woke up in the middle of the night.

"Hey," Teresa looks at Miklos, "You kinda spaced out. You're alright?"

"Yes, sorry. I tend to do that a lot."

"Yeah, I noticed."

The raven girl blushes and chuckles. Behind her at the distance, some guys raise their armours and sword at Miklos and the guy nods at them. He turns to Teresa,

"Well, I have to leave. Practice." he says as he stands up.

Teresa nods, "It's okay. Thanks for the lunch."

"No, thank you. It was nice to break the routine."

Teresa smiles again. The guy flashes her a smile and with a _'see ya around'_ , runs towards his friends and they leave to the field. Teresa sits on the table, picking up her apple once more to look at it before putting it down. She heard a familiar male voice behind her,

"Oh, there she is. Sleeping Beauty in all her beauty."

Teresa rolls her eyes as she turns to face Minho, "Ha ha." the Asian male sits on the place where Miklos had been, "Where were you anyways? I couldn't find you, guys."

"We were watching Gally engaging in a fight with another knight."

"Really? And did he won?"

"No, actually he seemed distracted and he got injured. Nothing too big."

"Maybe it has to do with the body they found in the morning."

"How do you know about it? You were asleep when we found about it."

Teresa flashes him a smile, "I know everything." Minho grabs her apple, "Where's everyone?"

Minho takes a bite from the apple and grins, "I thought you knew everything."

The raven girl chuckles as she pushes at his head with her hand, making the Asian to laugh too.

 

* * *

 

While Minho and Newt went to search for Teresa, Thomas went to bring Gally a clean shirt from his room since the one he was wearing had blood on it. Returning to the infirmary with the clean shirt, he opened the door to find Gally standing up beside the examination table with his bloodied shirt on. The tall sandy blond turns to him as he closes the door and approached the table to put the shirt there. Gally thanks him and goes to make circular movements with his wounded arm, as if testing the pain.

As Thomas sits on the available chair a few steps away, he asks "Hey, you're alright?"

"What, this?" Gally asks as he looks at the gauze covered in blood. "I've had worse." he removes his shirt.

"It was kind of strange that you were so concentrated in the fight and then suddenly you looked out of place."

Thomas notices the faint change in his heart beat before it goes back to normal. His posture seems to stiffen for a moment too before turning his back to Thomas. He grabs the clean shirt from the examination table and as he goes to put it on, Thomas sees something tattooed on his inner arm/bicep. Like a phrase or something.

"Nice tattoo." he reads the words again, " _'Memento mori'_. What does it mean?"

" _'Remember that you have to die.'_ Is a Latin expression. It's a symbolic reminder of mortality." he finishes putting the shirt on, "I had it tattooed after I finished my training as a knight."

"Nice."

Once he had a clean shirt on, Gally started cleaning all the stuff Aris used to clean his wound and threw it away on the trash. Thomas stayed sit.

"So, what did your old teacher wanted? Celestine, I think."

Gally raises an eyebrow, "He wanted to know if we knew anything about the body."

"Did you ask him if we could leave?"

"He thinks that maybe. It all depends on what headmaster Hawkzile says."

Thomas nods and stands up, "Okay. I gotta see if Minho or Newt found Teresa." he walks to the door, opening it and exiting the infirmary. Gally picks up his bloodied shirt and stares at it.

 

* * *

 

Gally went towards Aris' room. He glanced at the gauze over his wounded arm. Maybe he misjudged the lighter brunet witch. Yeah, he could be a pain in the ass, but was he really that bad? He's never done anything bad or horrible to him. Once he reached the room he opened the door and was about to say something but whatever he was going to say died in his mouth as he saw a plumed, two-legged serpentine-bodied creature with wings, blue-green in color, over Aris' bed with the witch sitting beside it with his legs crossed. The three of them stayed still. Quickly, Aris grabbed one of his suitcases and opened it, and in a quick move the medium sized creature jumped into the suitcase, getting smaller as it entered the suitcase. Aris closed it and stared back at Gally who hadn't move from the door.

"What..."

"I can explain!"

"-the hell..."

"Gally, please-

 _"WAS THAT?!"_ Gally finally moves from the door, closing it and walking to the witch's bed. "What was that? How did it-

"Occamies are choranaptyxic. So they grow to fill available space. They also shrink to fit the available space."

"Occa-" he cuts himself, raising a hand. This was unbelievable. How did he manage to get a creature inside the Academy? He couldn't. Unless... Unless he had it with him when they arrived, which would mean-

The suitcase made a cawing noise that sounded just like the one he heard the night before they came here. The pieces start falling into place, "...It wasn't an interactive book the other night, wasn't it?"

"...No."

Gally huffs, bringing a hand to cover his eyes as he breathes out slowly. Still covering his eyes he asks, "Since when have you had it?"

"When was the last time we came here?"

"Six months ago."

"Okay, so..." Aris looks up as if he were counting the time, "A year."

Gally's eyes widen, _"A YEAR?!"_

Aris puts both hands over the suitcase, " _Shh!_ Some may hear you!"

"Why was that thing out? Has it ever been out like that since we've come here?" something clicked in his head and Aris noticed it, "What if that-

"He couldn't kill the knight."

"You don't know that."

"How do you know it wasn't _me_?"

"You didn't do it."

"You don't know that."

Shit. The witch just handed him his ass. He was right. He couldn't accuse his creature as much as he couldn't accuse Aris himself. Gally pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Just... make sure it doesn't escape." he goes to exit the room-

" _'He'_. It's a _'he'_ , Gally."

"Whatever." and finally leaves the room, closing the door behind him. God dammit, this witch was going to be the dead of him.

 

* * *

 

The sun was going down when the pack found themselves over the cafeteria. Every other knight were in the cafeteria as well since their training had ended an hour ago. While Minho was telling a story and the rest of the pack laughed, Aris gathered an amount of food over his plate to feed the occamy. Sure, it weren't rats or birds, but he didn't had any of those here so normal food should do. Minho continues telling them his story when Aris makes his move to retire to his room, standing up with his tray on hand and about to leave when Teresa notices him,

"Hey, you're leaving already?"

He stops and notices everyone else looking at him.

"Yes,"

Thomas is the next one to ask, "Why do you leave with your tray of food?"

Aris doesn't move. Gally knows he's not that stupid to tell them about the creature in his room, but he wonders what's he gonna answer. He just smirks at the lighter brunet witch and watches as he tries to get out of this one. The witch actually surprises him when he opens his mouth and says,

"I'm going to finish this alone since I don't like the way Gally's looking at me. He's making me feel fat." and with that he turns and leaves. Aris goes to his room with a smirk on his face.

Gally wants to roll his eyes but then he feels the eyes of the pack on him. Minho's especially,

"Dude,"

"What?"

"That's not cool."

"But I-

"Not cool."

Gally curses the witch in his mind. Well, at least he's got an eye on the creature.

 

* * *

 

The sun was down and the moon was high in the dark sky. The time for going to sleep was getting closer and so many students were packing the training weapons, the armours and swords back into the storage room. The pack were going to their rooms and call it a day; maybe tomorrow they would have luck and they could go back to Beacon Hills. Newt was already over his bed, his back at Teresa and judging by how relaxed his body was, Teresa could say he was asleep. Still not having changed into her pajama shorts, Teresa had decided to go to the cafeteria for a bottle of water. She had finished her bottle and she needed to have one beside her bed for her pills. She got out of her bed, grabbed a lantern just in case and got out of the room. Walking through the halls was easier than she thought. With her lantern on, she went to the cafeteria and grabbed a bottle from the cooler and went back to her room. She was exiting the cafeteria and about to go straight to the hall when she heard a noise. They say that curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back, right?

So Teresa, lantern in hand, went to investigate what that noise had been if everyone were supposed to be sleeping or about to. She came out to the field and slowly made her way to where some more rustling was heard. She could feel her heart beating fast in her chest but she tried to calm down. She didn't succeeded 'cus as soon as she stopped to try and hear better, someone screaming in pain. Startled, she turns around and her eyes widen as she takes in the scene before her eyes: someone who she couldn't see their face, lying on the field while a person was standing next to his body, holding what appeared to be a dagger or a small sword. The person and Teresa stared at each other before the hooded person ran away. Teresa did the same, but she ran towards the person lying on the field. Her heart was pumping in her ears but she didn't stop. She ran and kneeled beside the guy who she recognized as Miklos, the knight who spent lunch with her. He had his eyes closed, blood dripping from his mouth and a big wound over his stomach. With tears over her eyes, she puts a hand over the wound to put some pressure and puts her other hand behind his head and raises it a little,

"Look at me! Hey- You're gonna be okay!" the guy manages to open his eyes and stare into her blue eyes, "It's Teresa. You're gonna be okay! You're gonna be okay! Just keep looking at me!" the guy continued staring as long as he could before his eyelids fell and his head went backwards, body going still. Teresa opens her mouth and gaps at him, tears running down her cheeks as she looks around and starts yelling _"Help!_ _Help! Please!_ _Somebody come help here!"_ she looks down at Miklos body before screaming again, _"Someone is hurt! Please!"_

 

* * *

 

Every single one of the knights had heard Teresa's screaming and so they had gotten out to see what the ruckus was about. In no time, the adult knights were keeping the younger ones apart from the crime scene. Thomas and the pack were with Teresa, who still was in some kind of shock after what happened. She had a blanket over her shoulders but she didn't move. With Newt's hand over her arm, caressing it in a comforting way, Thomas and Gally approached headmaster Hawkzile and two knights as they covered the body with a blanket. The older man glanced at them and said,

"His name's Miklos Ramey. Excellent knight and good kid."

"Do you get anything?" Gally asks Thomas.

"No. There's the scent of blood and several people, but... nothing specific."

The two knights who covered the body proceed to take the body away as headmaster Hawkzile, his knights and Gally and Thomas watch them.

Back to where the pack is, Minho volunteers to take Teresa back to her room so she can rest. Guiding her through the hall and towards her room, the raven girl sits on the bed unblinking as Minho gets some tissues to wipe away the tears trails. He brings a chair in front of her and sits on it.

"He was alive." is the first thing she says as he wipes her tears.

"What?"

Her eyes move until they're on him, "He was still alive."

"Teresa, there's nothing else you could have done."

"I felt him leave." she says in a whisper, "He was there one second, and then-- just a body."

"Why didn't you go and find someone before you ran out there?"

Teresa blinks, tears pooling in her eyes again, "Because... when I got dragged into the Underworld, I remember thinking _'the last thing I'm ever gonna see in this life is the monster who killed me'_ , and I couldn't let that happen to him. He had to see something good before he died."

"You ran right towards the killer. You could have been killed."

"I know that!"

Minho shuts his mouth and simply stares at the raven girl. He brings a hand to her hair and caresses it. There's a knock on the door and then it's being open, showing Gally standing in the doorway.

"Hey. How are you?" he asks the blue eyed girl.

"Alive. That's a given, right?"

"Sorry." he looks outside at the hallway and then back at them, "Um, they want to ask a couple of questions, all right?"

"No, I-I told you everything I saw."

"You said the man's face was mostly in shadow, but there was also a lot of blood. You might have seen more than you actually realize."

Teresa shakes her head as she stands up, "Cognitive interviews and breaking someone's death down to science and statistic-- No." she continues shaking her head as he makes it to the door and passes beside the tall blond, leaving the room. "I can't do that."

Gally goes to follow her, "Teresa-

But Minho puts a hand over his bicep, "Gally, let her go." they watch as the raven girl walks away, walking beside the rest of the pack as they made their way to the rooms. Newt stops for a moment, telling Thomas that he will look after Teresa. The brunet nods and watches as Newt follows after Teresa.

"Was Teresa able to give you any new information?" asks Thomas.

"She's given all she can." answers Minho.

"This is bad." Aris says, "Two murders with barely a day of difference. Gotta be the same person."

"You hope." adds Minho. "Now we're definitely not getting out of here any time soon."

Thomas looks at his best friend, "You don't know that."

In that moment a guy appeared at the end of the hallway and turned to them. The same that had told them about the first murder.

"Hey! You might wanna hear this." and runs back to the field.

Frowns adorning their faces, the four males go to the field where everyone was gathered and headmaster Hawkzile along with two knights were standing tall so they could be seen and heard by everyone present. The headmaster was holding a microphone, ready to speak to the entire Academy,

"I know most of you are wondering why this kind of things are happening here in Luna Nova, and I can assure you that we are doing everything that's in our hands to investigate it. We're terrible sorrow for the loses that we had this two last days, and all our thoughts are with the families of the victims." he takes a deep breath and continues, "With that in mind, it has become necessary at this time to declare a lockdown until we can investigate this further and find the culprit."

Several knights were whispering about how unfair it was, others were worrying about being locked in the Academy with a potential killer. The four males looked between each other with worried faces.

 


	10. Entropy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!! Sorry if you were expecting the chapter yesterday but I was so busy I didn't had the time to upload it! I was actually gonna upload it next week but I was like "No, cus there's still one chapter left and I'll be leaving next weekend so I won't be able to do it." And then I said "I'm going to upload it on Sunday" but no, 'cus I'm going to be out all day celebrating my birthday (Monday 3rd of April is my birthday) since on Monday all of my family works.
> 
> Anyways, I'm so glad I could upload it this week. Enjoy~

"This sucks."

It's what comes out of Minho's mouth. They're locked in Thomas and Minho's room after the headmaster gave the announcement of the lockdown. Thomas and Newt are sitting down on the brunet's bed, holding hands; Minho is sitting on the chair beside Thomas' bed; Teresa is sitting with her back leaned against the headboard of Minho's bed while Aris is sitting over the edge of the bed and Gally is rested over the wall next to the door with his arms over his chest;

"Well, that's an understatement." Teresa says.

After that they're in silence again. It's not like they have anything else to say, anyways. Aris surprisingly is the next one to speak,

"Sorry."

The pack looks confused. Teresa frowns, "What're you sorry for?"

"This is all my fault."

"What'd you mean?" Newt asks.

"If I hadn't dragged you along, you wouldn't be here and probably risking your lives. You would be at your houses with your families."

"Hey, nobody obliged us to come."

"Except to Thomas." adds Minho.

"We wanted to come. We wanted to be together as friends, as pack, and no matter what anyone would've said we still would've come."

Aris shakes his head, "Whatever. What happens from now on it's on me."

Teresa grimaces and reaches out to grab his hand in comfort. Gally stares at him and then looks away. There's a knock on the door and they all turn to the door in time to see how it's opened and Master Hausen appears on the entrance of the room.

"Hey. I wanted to see how you were." he asks in general.

"We're fine." Thomas says.

"I'm really sorry that you can't go back to where you belong."

"It's okay," Teresa says, "We understand."

Hausen softly smiles and nods. He turns to the door, "Well, I must go back. Take care." and he exits the room. The pack goes back to complete silence.

While sitting down on the chair, Minho starts tapping the floor with his foot before he stands up,

"Okay, I'm gonna speak for what I think is what we're all thinking." they all look at him, "We need help. We need someone that can help us."

"How?" Teresa asks.

"We need someone that can tell us how the killer is. That can tell us if the killer is still here and if they will attack again. Someone that can see the future..." he turns to look at Gally, "like an Oracle."

The face that the tall sandy blond makes means that he knows what Minho's talking about. He opens his mouth and opens his mouth but doesn't say anything. He lets out a sigh in defeat.

 

* * *

 

"We'll come back as soon as possible."

That's what Newt said as he and Teresa climbed out of the window of their room to get to Gally's mom house. Maybe she could help. As Teresa climbs out, Thomas stares at the window standing beside Minho.

"Sure this is a good idea?" Thomas asks his best friend.

"Yeah... Nobody will notice that they're gone."

"I should be going with them."

"Relax, Thomas. Newt's going with her so nothing bad happens. He can protect her."

 _'Yeah, but who protects him?'_ thought Thomas.

Teresa was out. As Newt got out through the window, he stopped mid-way facing Thomas as the brunet approached him.

"Be careful."

"We will." Newt said as he leaned forward and joined their lips in a soft but meaningful kiss. They separate and the blond witch jumps out of the window, falling beside the raven girl and they both make their way to the exit of the academy without anyone knowing.

"And what do we do in the meanwhile?" Aris asks.

"Act normal. They can't keep us here if we're not acting suspicious or that makes them think we have something to do with the murders."

After that, Aris stood up and went to his room. Thomas, Minho and Gally stayed in the room.

"Why is this happening just now?" Minho asks.

Gally shrugs, "Who knows. They say things happen for a reason, no?"

"And what is the reason for two murders?"

They stay in silence again.

Gally goes back to his own room, opening the door and watching as Aris brings his suitcase on top of his bed with a loud huff and a plate of food beside it.

"It's meal time." explained the witch.

The tall sandy blond rolls his eyes but doesn't say anything. He passes beside him and to his bed, sitting down on the edge facing the witch. Aris opens his suitcase but he freezes there, not even moving his hands. Gally sees his stiff posture before the witch says

"Oh, no."

"Please tell me that 'oh, no' it's because you forgot your toothbrush."

Aris bites his lips and simply stares at him with _'guilt'_ written on his face and Gally know what that means.

"It escaped?!!"

" _Shh!!_ No, it didn't! And it's a he!"

"Aris! How long it's been since you last saw it?"

Aris opens his mouth but thinks about it before answering, "Yesterday at lunch time."

"Aris, that was before the last murder! How do we know it really didn't committed the murders?"

"He didn't!

"How do you-

"He didn't." he said with a firm voice.

The tall blond grabs the bridge of his nose and pinches it, closing his eyes for a moment, "Aris, if that thing is on the loose and someone finds it they're gonna think that maybe it commited the murders." he opens his eyes and looks at the brunet witch, "You gotta find it."

"And I will. I just need a rat or a small bird." the tall sandy blond raises an eyebrow, "Occamies feed on them."

"I don't wanna know, just- Find it." he goes to open the door.

"Him."

"Whatever." and exits the room.

 

* * *

 

Over Gally's mom house, the blond witch and the raven girl were sitting over the living room, both with a cup of tea in front of them as they looked at Diana sitting on the other side of the table.

"Mrs. Castellan, we would like to thank you for trying to help us." Newt says as he puts his cup down.

Diana smiles, "Of course. What do you need to know?"

"We're looking for someone who can be in the academy. Someone that can be dangerous enough to murder; maybe they're infiltrated and they're not actually part of the academy."

Diana stops her, "Wait. Are we even sure that it's a person and not a creature?"

Newt frowns, "What do you mean?"

"Maybe a wild magical creature it's the responsible for it. Although there aren't magical creatures inside Luna Nova."

"But maybe one could sneak in?"

"Maybe."

"Can you try?" she asks while giving her a pencil. Diana reached out and grabbed the pencil; she closed her eyes while holding the pencil. The two teens stared as the strawberry blonde woman sat in complete silence with her eyes closed, waiting for a vision to come to her. Her eyes twitched and she frowned, tilting her head as her hand gripped the pencil tighter but nothing happened. The woman opened her eyes and stared at the pencil.

"Sorry. I don't get any kind of... vibe." she looks at them, "It won't work."

Teresa and Newt sigh in defeat.

"It's okay. At least we tried." Newt says.

"Yeah, but what if the killing doesn't stop and one of us is next?"

The blond witch grimaces. She was right.

"Don't worry." Diana says, "The academy will figure it out. They will find the one who killed those knights."

"You sure talk like you have a lot of faith in them, ma'am."

"I do. My son does too." she smiles, "I just hope that no one else gets hurt."

 

* * *

 

Thomas is sitting over his bed on his and Minho's room. His back is resting against the wall and he has both legs propped up, his arms resting on top of them. Minho went to get something to eat and Aris and Gally were... who knows where. The brunet werewolf continued to stare at the other side of the room when he turned to his chest and saw the glimpse of hid dog tag. He takes it out of his shirt by the ball chain and stares at his dog tag with the inscription: **'To Thine Own Self Be True'**. He stares at it for a couple of minutes before he grips it tight.

What were they going to do if they couldn't leave the academy? Could they try to escape? I mean, they haven't done anything wrong, but for the academy it doesn't matter. They can't just take their word and let them leave. This sucks.

"Hey-ooh!" Minho yells as soon as he steps into the room, holding a tray filled with food and closing the door with his foot. He walks to Thomas' bed and sits down, putting the tray down on the bed. He has a smile over his face and he turns to look at Thomas but the other is just staring at the tray without any expression. "Hey," the brunet looks up at him, "Don't worry. I bet they're talking to Mrs. Castellan and they're drinking tea or something."

"Yeah."

Minho went to grab his plate of pasta and started pouring several things on top of it as Thomas stares at him. He remembered something that happened before the second death and he cleared his throat,

"Do you wanna talk about that seer thing?"

"No, man. I'm freaking hungry."

Thomas snorts at that and decides to let Minho eat first.

 

* * *

 

Walking around the academy, Aris was trying to find the occamy but he didn't knew where to search first. What if someone found out about him? What if they hurt him? What if they think the occamy is the one killing? He shakes his head and tries to focus on finding the occamy than on what would happen if he doesn't find him.

"If I were an occamy, where would I be?" he thinks about it, "Actually, if I were an occamy I would be in serious trouble." he groans.

He continues walking along the hallway, looking around in search for the blue-green creature when a voice coming from the front startles him.

"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in." Aris turns around and find the tall guy with black hair -Castor- standing a couple of steps ahead of him, sporting a grin with crossed arms.

"I'm not in the mood."

"Why, and here I thought you would be nice." the witch ignores him and continues looking around, "What are you doing?"

"None of your business."

"That's where you're wrong. There are murders happening in the academy and we have no idea who's responsible for them. And here you are, roaming through the hallways alone."

Aris rolls his eyes, "Yes, you caught me. I'm the one murdering knights, so why don't you go to your superiors and tell them that and leave me the hell alone." he turns around but then feels a presence behind him, a hand hovering on his back. "Don't touch me." he tries to turn around and leave but Castor grabs him by the cuffed wrist. Looking at him, Aris tugs but Castor's hand closes around his arm, "Let go." he tries to tug again, "I said-

_"Let go."_

They turn to look at Gally a few steps away from them, looking fiercely at Castor, a sword strapped to his side, "He said let go."

Castor grins at him, still holding Aris by the wrist, "You want this? Come and get it." the tall sandy blond takes a couple of steps forward, "What, you think you a bad-ass now because you're no longer a knight in training and they let you wear that sword?"

"Castor, I proved a long time ago I don't need a sword to take you out."

The black haired man stares at him before he let go of Aris' wrist but not before clutching harder. He releases the witch still staring at Gally and then turns around and walks away from them, disappearing at the end of the hallway. The two guys stare at it for a moment before Aris moves aside and without a word he continues his search for the occamy. Gally turns to look at him with a frown,

"You're welcome."

Aris turns to him, "I didn't ask for your help."

"No need to."

The lighter brunet huffs.

"Still no sight of the occamy?"

"Do I look like I already have him?"

Gally rolls his eyes, "Come on, I'll help you find it."

"No, thanks. Don't want you to get caught with the 'despicable one'."

"What are you talking about? Besides, it will be better if I come along with you. That way nobody will comment about you roaming around the academy alone."

Aris doesn't have anything else to say, so he just goes along the tall blond and they go to find the occamy.

 

* * *

 

After they finished eating, both Thomas and Minho were lying on their backs, lying beside the other while staring at the ceiling. Once they finished they started talking about Minho being a seer.

"And it's just like... I no longer feel like I'm crazy, but at the same time I'm more confused than I was before. You get me?"

Thomas scrunches his nose, still staring at the ceiling, "Not really."

"Well, I'm glad I have an answer about what was wrong with me."

"Nothing's wrong with you, Min."

"I know, I know. There's nothing wrong with me now."

Thomas turns his head to look at him, "There was nothing wrong with you before either."

"Okay."

"I'm serious."

Minho also turns his head to look at him and they hold stares. Thomas didn't like it when his friend smelled like that: sad, laced with anxiety. He didn't like it when any of them smelled like that. Minho nodded at him, as if telling him that he agreed with him and he was thanking him for being a good friend. They continue staring at each other before Minho spoke,

"We should kiss to break the tension."

Thomas snorts so hard that it startles the Asian, but then he joined his best friend in laughter.

 

* * *

 

Gally and Aris were still looking for the occamy when they reached a utility closet and they were walking pass it but they heard a strange noise coming from inside. They stopped, raised an eyebrow at each other and return to stand in front of the closet. Another noise came from the inside and Gally saw as Aris' face paled.

"Oh, no."

"I don't like your _'oh, no's'_."

They went to open the closet and entered it quickly, closing the door behind them. There was no light except for the one coming through the closed window. To Gally it looked like an empty closet, except for the typical cleaning paraphernalia but that's when they saw it. Right over the corner, hiding in the shadows, but instead of the medium sized occamy that Gally saw over Aris' bed, this one could fill almost the whole room, even having to curl its tail around its body. The occamy had its eyes on them.

"What the hell is that?!"

"I told you! Occamies are choranaptyxic; they grow to fill available space! Luckily I was prepared for this." he takes out a small glass vial and takes the lid off. "Okay, I need you to get a bug."

"What?"

"A bug. _Just_ \- trust me!"

Gally looks around the place but unfortunately it's too dark to be able to see something as small as a bug. He moves to the other side of the closet and that's when he finds a cricket about to leave the room; before the cricket can escape, he launches at it and captures it with his hand. Holding it with his fingers, he shows it to Aris.

"Give it to me." he throws the bug across the room and Aris catches it. "Hey, gorgeous. Look here!" he holds up the bug and instantly the occamy turns to look at it. "Looky here! Come!"

The occamy doesn't lose time as he goes to move, his incredibly big body uncurling and in the process hitting Gally with his tail, sending him to the ground with several cleaning products. Aris holds the vial with one hand and the bug with the other as the occamy launches at him. Quickly, he puts the bug inside the vial and braces himself as the occamy surprisingly shrinks in the air and gets inside the vial, with Aris putting the lid on. Everything stays in silence. The lighter brunet looks as the creature gladly eats the bug and then turns to look at Gally, who was still over the floor but pushing his body up with his elbows.

"Occamies also shrink to fit the available space." explains Aris.

Gally lets out some air mingled with a chuckle and the brunet chuckles too. But their relief time is interrupted by the sound of someone else's voice,

_"What was that?"_

They turn and look at Castor standing over the door, looking at where the occamy had been seconds ago. He had most probably seen everything. Shit.

Aris' eyes widen. "Nothing."

The dark haired male enters the room, "No, it wasn't 'nothing'. What was it?" he looks between Aris and Gally, "Was that the thing that killed people?"

"No."

"Let me see it."

Aris takes a step backwards, "No."

"Give me that!" he moves so he's in front of Aris and tries to rip away the vial from the witch's hands. But Aris won't let him have it. He tugs at it. "Let go of it, you filthy witch!"

Suddenly a pair of strong hands reach out and separate the tall black haired guy from the witch. As soon as he's free, Aris holds the vial protectively close to his chest. Castor stares as Gally stands in front of the witch.

"Back off."

"What? Could you please stop protecting this little witch?" he eyes him, giving him the stink eye, "What is it with you? Are you sleeping with him or-

He doesn't get to finish as a fist connects with his chin, sending him backwards and almost off his feet. He brings a hand to his sore chin and turns to look at Gally.

"Oh, you're dead, Castellan."

Aris doesn't know who moved next, but they were over each other, punching, scratching, gripping hard and pushing. They ended up out of the closet room and onto the floor, still fighting. Aris got out of the room too and stood there, watching the two knights fight. The altercation turned a few heads and made several both young and adult knights get over them.

"Knock it off, both of you!"

One adult knight grabbed Castor and restrained him and as soon as Gally was up to his feet, Aris stepped in his way, putting both hands over his broad chest and stopping him too. The two young knights looked like they wanted to kill each other.

"What is it with both of you?" asks the adult knight, still holding Castor.

When the dark haired knight manages to calm himself, he's released. The adult knights make the others leave and turn to the three of them. Although they were no longer fighting, they were still sending dagger to each other.

"This isn't over, Castellan." Castor says as he points at him. He fixes his clothes and turns around and walks away. The two adult knights, now sure that there wasn't going to be any more trouble, left.

Gally and Aris stayed in the same place after the knights left. Aris let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in.

"Come on, let's get the occamy back in my suitcase."

Gally didn't answer, but he went along with Aris back to their room.

 

* * *

 

Gally and Aris went back to put the occamy inside Aris' suitcase, then they went to Thomas and Minho's room and found that Newt and Teresa had come back. They explained that Gally's mother didn't had a vision to help them, but they still were gonna try and help in whatever they could. Also they decided that it would be better for all of them to stay in the same room at least for tonight. Everyone agreed. The rest of the afternoon went by peacefully.

When the night came it was clear and silent, except for the sounds of people talking and photos being taken. There were several knights standing in the same place; two knights (a blond and a dark haired one) and other two were taking pictures of the body of a young knight lying on the ground, covered by a white blanket except for the face. One of the knights was kneeling beside the body and the other standing behind him. The knight kneeling on the floor was staring at the lifeless eyes of the body and by the look of his face he couldn't continue looking, so he covered the guy's face with a blanket. The man stands up and with anger written all over his face starts walking away while the other knight follows after him.

"I'm gonna lock that son of a bitch up."

 

* * *

 

Over the best friend's room, they were all finishing dinner and talking and laughing about something when the knocking on the door interrupted them. Gally went to open, as he was the one closer to the door. Thomas and Newt sat over the brunet's bed, backs to the wall and facing the rest of the pack; Minho, Teresa and Aris sat crossed legged over the Asian's bed and Gally sat over the chair at the end of Minho's bed. Gally opens the door to find three or four guards/knights standing outside. They all had serious faces.

"Galileo Castellan?" the blond one asks.

"Yes?"

"Are you armed?"

Gally frowns at that question, "What?"

Another knight, the one with dark hair, rephrases the question, "Are you carrying any other weapon beside your sword?"

Gally looks at the sides to his friends still frowning, "No."

"Alright. By the orders of the Luna Nova Knight Academy and its headmaster Hawkzile you're arrested for committing murder."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't kill me, please.  
> Also, don't kill me 'cus this chapter is kind of small. But the next one will be bigger, I promise!


	11. Blackbird Fly (Into the Light of the Dark Black Night)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this chapter was long. I didn't even noticed how many words they were until I reached 9k. I hope it makes it up for no uploading the chapter in like two weeks. But here it is! The second season came to an end!  
> But don't worry, the third season will come soon :)

Steps could be heard over the halls as the guards lead Gally to his cell. The tall sandy blond was walking with cuffs around his wrists, eyes on the floor watching his feet walking; guards surrounding Gally as if he were someone important like the president or a member of the Council, but they weren't around him to keep him safe; they were around him to keep others safe and to prevent he would escape. As they were walking over the halls, Hausen appeared at the end of the hall and once he saw them he ran towards them,

"Stop! What are you doing?!" they all stop walking and prevent the grey haired man from getting too close to their prisoner. "This has to be a mistake! He-He wouldn't do this!"

One of the guards steps forward, "All the evidence points at him. Until we have investigated thoroughly, he will be our number one suspect and he will stay locked in the cells. Did I make myself clear?"

Hausen opens his mouth but doesn't say anything. His eyes fall over Gally.

"Please, make sure the old man Hawkzile doesn't get a heart attack."

And with that they continued their way to the cells, leaving the tall grey haired knight standing over the halls alone.

 

* * *

 

"This has to be a joke. Some kind of bizarre joke."

The pack were still inside Thomas and Minho's room, still shocked from what just happened. They had just arrested Gally for... for the murders?

"I can't believe it. I won't." Teresa said shaking her head.

"This can't be..." Newt says looking a little lost, "I mean, how? How can they think he did that?"

The door opens and they all expect it to be Gally back, telling them that it was all a misunderstanding or a joke. But once the door opens completely, they see gray hair and muscles -Hausen- standing over the door. Before the older man can open his mouth and say whatever he was going to say, the pack ran to him and started bombing him with questions and statements.

"Where did they took him?" asks Thomas.

"This is a mistake!" Teresa says.

"He's the Golden Boy of the Academy; he wouldn't do that." Aris says.

"I know."

They all stopped. They thought that the whole academy would be against Gally. When realizing that Mikael Hausen was on their and Gally's side, Thomas took a step forward,

"What can we do? They talk about murder and they're going to lock Gally up god knows where."

Hausen shakes his head, "They're not. Come on,"

 

* * *

 

Finally, the guards lead him to the cells. Gally has never been inside of the cells. Sure, he's seen them but from the outside. One of the guards stays outside while the blond one accompanies Gally inside his cell. He takes off the cuffs and takes a step aside.

"Sit down."

"This is not funny, you know."

_"Sit down."_

Gally doesn't even blink but he does as he's told. He sits on the chair in front of a table in the middle of the room. The guard starts pacing around, like trying to intimidate him or trying to make him nervous.

"So, are you going to tell me what this is all about or..?" asks Gally.

"You got in a confrontation with one of the knights yesterday on the afternoon, is that right or no?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I did. The guy's name is Castor. He was bothering my friends. He's been following me around ever since I got back."

"You did a little more than that."

Gally frowns. The knight takes something out of his ropes -a photo, it seems- and looks at Gally,

"Castor Bennett is dead." with that he shows Gally a picture of the black haired guy lying on the ground.

"What?" Gally grabs the picture and stares at it. Sure, this guy hadn't been his friend but still... He was part of the academy. "Somebody killed him?"

"Not somebody, Gally."

Gally notices the tone in which he said it and looks up at him, "You think I did this."

The door opens and another knight enters the room. It took a couple of seconds but Gally recognized him as Castor's uncle. Shit. The man's eyes had anger, hate and he looked like he could strangle Gally if he wanted.

"I didn't do it."

_"You son of a-_

The knight launches at him but fortunately the other guard manages to hold him before he reaches Gally. The tall sandy blond flinches.

"No, Damien! He's not worth it!"

The knight girths his teeth as he sends daggers at Gally, but only lets out a huff before he composes himself. The other knight lets go of him once he's sure he won't try that again. Both of them stare at Gally,

"Why did you do it?"

"Look, I'm serious. I didn't kill anybody!"

"Shut up." spits Castor's uncle.

The other guard walks towards the door, "We need to go and get something. Don't move from that chair." he opens the door, "Come on, Damien."

Damien -Castor's uncle- looks like he's about to leave, but he turns back to face Gally, hands over the table and so close to his face that he can feel his breath over his face.

"Right now we're going to bring all of our evidence and information of the case and once we're done you're never gonna be able to leave this room except for the moment of your execution arrives." with another word to say, he turns around and exits the room, shutting the door hard.

Gally stays sit on the chair, looking over the photo of Castor and then he looks up, looking around the room and for the first time since they arrested him, feeling afraid.

 

* * *

 

Hausen and the pack were walking over the hallway that led to the interrogation cells. Good thing they had someone on their side and that that someone knew the academy because without him they wouldn't have been able to know where Gally was. They continued and arrived at a wing where a knight was guarding a big wooden door. Hausen doesn't stop until he's standing close to the other knight, the pack standing behind him.

"Which cell did you take him?"

"Sorry, master Hausen but I can't share-

"Don't _'I can't share that kind of information with you'_ me! Where is he?!"

"He's innocent!" Teresa says.

"He didn't do it! You got the wrong person!" Minho says.

The guard held a hand up to stop them, but he didn't talk. Hausen frowned with anger "Okay, listen here. I don't care if someone gave you orders. I'm giving you new ones and those are to let us pass and see Gally." he takes a step forward, "What do you think headmaster Hawkzile will do when he finds out?"

As soon as he finished that and before the other could answer, they heard the strong and angry voice of the man they were talking about at the end of the hallway,

_"You clinking, clanking, clattering collection of caliginous junk!"_

"I dare to say he knows already." Minho says.

Steps were heard and then the figure of headmaster Hawkzile and another knight appeared at the end of the hall, walking towards them. The headmaster sure was pissed off.

"Sir, please calm down!"

"What do you mean you've arrested Gally Castellan? What kind of incompetents arrest someone under... what was it?"

"Murder, sir."

 _"FOR MURDER?!"_ they arrive to where the pack and Hausen are trying to make the guard open the door and they stop. Headmaster Hawkzile looks over at the pack and then up at Hausen, "So what's going on in here?"

"You gotta help us!" yells Newt.

"Gally's innocent!" Minho says as Teresa nods.

Headmaster Hawkzile turns to look at the knight guarding the door. "What are you waiting for? The Rain in Spain? Open the goddamn door!"

The guard shivered and didn't hesitate in opening the door to let them in. The pack felt so much relieved and ran inside with Hausen and the headmaster. There were several interrogation cells that reminded Thomas the ones at the sheriff's station back at Beacon Hills. The approached one where a tall blond knight -one of the ones that had taken Gally- was standing with his arms crossed, staring at one of the cells. The man turned to them as they got closer, and saw that he was looking at Gally from the other side of the glass. The sandy blond guy was sitting over a chair with a metal table in front of him and what appeared to be a photo lying in front of him.

"Oh, headmaster Hawkzile. What a pleasing visit; we're so glad that you could join us-

"Save the bootlicking for someone it works on. Now I want to know what the hell is Galileo Castellan doing inside of that cell?"

"Well, sir, he's being investigated."

"What for? Murder? That's ridiculous."

"Not so ridiculous." a voice says behind them.

Castor's uncle comes back from where he had left, looking not less angry than he was before.

"What do you mean?" asks Hausen.

"Well, to begin with, the murders started to happen once he came back. The perpetrator obviously knew the facilities enough to know where and when to attack his victims and he was seen... fighting with one of the victims before the latter appeared dead." Thomas caught the scent of anger radiating from the man and he knew he had to step in.

"He was with us." Thomas says, "He came back with Aris and since then we all stayed in the same room."

"And what about the other two murders?"

The pack fell silent. Sure, Gally had been with them all the afternoon until he was arrested, but what about the other days? They couldn't prove that he had been with them without being too obvious in trying to protect Gally. And this man knew it.

"He was with me." Aris says out of the blue.

The guards as well as the pack, Hausen and headmaster Hawkzile turn to look at him; one of the guards raising an eyebrow, "The whole time?"

Aris holds his hand up, showing his cuff to them, "He doesn't like to leave me alone. It's tedious, but it's his job."

"Would you be willing to testify that?"

Aris' mouth forms a thin line but he nods.

"Are you out of your mind?!" the blond knight yells to his partner, "How could you possibly think he's telling the true?"

"Because there's two options: Or he's willing to testify because he's got nothing to lose since he's telling the truth. Or he's lying but he doesn't care what happens to him."

"Well, then. There's a way to solve this. Are you willing to do the Anima Sword test to corroborate your story?"

The pack can only look between Aris and the knights. They didn't know what was going on, but by the tension in the air it was obviously something serious.

"I am."

Castor's uncle seemed to be pissed off because of his answer, so he takes a step forward 'till he's standing in front of the witch in an intimidating way, "You _do_ know what will happen to you if you try to lie to the Anima Sword, right?"

Aris doesn't even blink; he holds the knight's gaze.

Feeling the tension forming between the two of them, Hausen takes a step forward. "Alright, then. Can we at least see him?"

The blond knight shakes his head, "Can't do that.

Thomas is the next one to take a step forward too, "I need to see him. He's part of my pack and he's my friend."

"Pack? Are you his alpha or something?"

Thomas opens his mouth about to refute but "Um... yeah?" he doesn't know why, but that word sounded important. Important enough for the knight to mention it when he said the word _'pack'_.

The knight holds his gaze when he mutters under his breath, _"...Damn it."_ and turns around, motioning the brunet to follow him. Oh, it worked!

Looking back at his pack, he follows the knight as the other opens the door and let him enter the room. As the door closes behind him, Gally looks up and he's really surprised at seeing the werewolf in the same room with him.

"How did they let you in?"

"Uh, I don't really know. Something to do with 'alpha' or something."

Gally raises an eyebrow and looks at him with a mixed look: surprise and amusement.

"What?"

"Nothing. Good call about following the 'alpha' thing, but you really should learn all about being a werewolf."

Thomas frowns, "I'm still learning. And why are we worrying about me when you were the one escorted out of the room with a pair of cuffs!" the two of them fall silent. Thomas looks down at his feet and then to the walls. Gally looks back at the photo in his hand and just stares at it.

"You okay?" asks Thomas as he takes a step closer.

"This guy I fought with yesterday."

"Yeah?"

"He's dead." he puts the photo over the table, "They're saying I was the last person seen with him."

"This is all just coincidence."

"A hell of a lot of coincidences."

"It's purely circumstantial."

"So's a fingerprint." the sandy blond says as he stands up, stretching his legs.

Wow. He had never heard Gally so... pessimist. Not that he's Mr. Sunshine and Good Vibes, but it was so odd to see him... like he was giving up.

"Listen, we need to look at-

"No. We don't need to do anything."

Thomas takes a step forward, worried written all over his face and voice, "Gally, you're in trouble here."

"Look, just- Please make sure my mom doesn't know, ok?"

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to worry her. Not right now."

"Then when? When you're jailed for something you didn't do?!"

The door opens and the blond knight is standing over the entrance of the room. The two teens turn to look at him.

"Sorry, but time's up. You need to go."

Thomas turns to look at Gally, who nods at him, "It's okay. Go. I'll be fine."

Thomas tries not to think much in the jump on the sandy blond's heartbeat as he said that. He nods and turns around, walking to the door and exiting the room. He and the knight walk back to where the pack is waiting.

"Is he alright?" asks Newt as Thomas walks towards them.

Thomas turns to look back at the glass where they can see Gally moving to sit back in the chair.

"I don't know."

 

* * *

 

After that, the pack had to go back to their own rooms. They went back to Thomas and Minho's room and stayed most of the time in silence, trying to figure out what to do. Minho is the first to break the silence,

"This is insane. Gally couldn't do that. We know it." Teresa nods, agreeing with him, "He's not a murderer."

Aris is the next to speak, "It doesn't matter what we think, it matters what they think they found as proof and why it lead to Gally."

Newt frowns when he gets some of what the witch meant to say, "You don't think... someone is framing him for this, do you?"

The rest of the pack, surprised, turns to look at Aris. "Well, don't you find it odd that once we got here murders were committed and all fingers point to Gally?"

Newt nods, "Yeah, but... Why would someone in this academy want to incriminate Gally? They're comrades."

"Not all of them." Minho says, "Remember that guy we met when we first got here? What was his name?"

"Castor. But he's dead too." Thomas says.

Minho deflates, "Oh."

Teresa, sitting over the headboard with her legs brought up to her chest and hugging them, turns to Aris, "Hey, Aris. What is that Anima Sword test about?"

Minho nods, "Yeah, what's that? That knight was asking you if you knew what would happen to you if you lied."

Thomas turns to the lighter brunet witch, "What would happen to you if you lie while holding the Anima Sword?"

"If you lie while holding the sword it will burn the flesh off your hands."

Horrified, Teresa says "Aris, you can't do that!"

"I'll be fine. If they ask me if Gally did it, I will say the true and say he didn't."

"And if they ask if Gally was with you when the murders were committed, you will get your hands burned." Newt says.

The lighter brunet shrugs, "I can take it."

Thomas takes a step forward, "Then I should be the one taking that test. I can heal."

Aris raises his cuffed hand, "So can I. I'll just have to bear the pain and afterwards I'll cure my hands. It'll be okay."

"If it'll be okay then why it doesn't sound that way?" asks Teresa worried.

They all stayed silent after that.

 

* * *

 

After spending Gally doesn't know how much time inside that interrogation cell, they finally transferred him into a real cell, with bars and all that. He was sitting over his 'bed', one leg up while the other was touching the floor, his right arm resting over the leg propped up and he was immersed in his thoughts that he actually didn't heard the sound of steps getting closer. He did felt a presence and as soon as he raised his head he was met with grayish-black hair and dirty-brown eyes.

"Master Celestine." came out of his mouth as he stood up.

Behind the man was a knight, obviously making sure that nothing happened. The knight didn't open the cell for obvious reasons. Master Celestine turns to knight, "Please leave us alone."

The knight nods and turns around, walking away. Once they're alone, Celestine turned to Gally, "I ran here as soon as I found out. Are you alright?"

The tall sandy blond approached the bars, "Yeah, I'm fine." he takes a moment before asking "My mom?"

"I was about to call her, but I needed to check on you first to tell her you were okay."

"Please don't call her." the man's eyebrows shot up, "I just... I don't want to worry her."

After the surprised passed, the man smiled at him, making the small wrinkles around his eyes show.

"You've always had a heart of gold. Ever since you were a kid."

Gally grimaces, "I'm no longer a kid, Master Celestine."

"To me you'll always be."

A warm silence fills the cell and Gally feels a tug inside his chest. He wants to smile and tell the man that everything will work out just fine, but he himself isn't sure about it. So he changes the subject.

"Is there any new information about the murders?"

"You know I can't tell you anything."

"I know, I just- I want to help. We know that I didn't do it, and that whoever did this is still out there."

"I know. I know you're innocent. Mikael knows it. Your friends know it too, but the academy doesn't."

Gally knows that. That's what hurts him. The Academy, the one place where he felt safe beside his mom's house, the place where he learned how to be a man and be responsible, and they're turning their backs to him. He doesn't know what to do. He feels like when he was a kid: lost. Feeling a tug inside his chest and his eyes stinging, he lowers his head and looks down.

He again feels like a kid but this time for a much different reason. Bastian raises his hand and reaches through the bars of the cells, his fingertips gently touching Gally's forehead as he says,

"My dear child, may God watch over you."

 

* * *

 

Aris was lead to an underground room that had candles lighting the whole place. It looked like a dungeon if you ask him. There were no tables, no chairs, no one but the two knights and him. Oh, and the Anima Sword. There it was, shinning with the candle's light. The sword was an enormous silver sword, shaped like a typical arming sword from the Middle Ages. It has a straight double-edged blade and a one-handed hilt, made of pure obsidian. The redhead knight pointed at him where to stand and he was stepping up the stand when the door opened and they turned to see Mikael Hausen entering the room. Damien -Castor's uncle-, not happy at all, walked towards him.

"Master Hausen. What are you doing here?"

"I'm going to supervise that everything goes according to the rules."

"I can assure you that it will. There's no need for you to stay."

"Humor me."

The knight glared at him but the other didn't waver, so he had to proceed. He turned back to his partner as he finished putting the sword over Aris' extended palms. The witch stayed still, trying to calm his beating heart. The two knights took a couple of steps back, leaving Aris up there holding the sword. He glanced at the gray haired man and then back at the front. He knew that he hadn't come to supervise; he had come to make sure the two knights didn't hurt him too much.

The lights of the candles seemed to go lighter.

The redhead knight was the first to speak, "Say your name, please."

"Aris Jones."

When he didn't felt the sword burn him, he knew that he shouldn't tell them that that wasn't his birth name. That was technically the name he's had since two centuries ago. But since nothing happened, whatever.

"Is the name of the academy 'Luna Nova'?"

"Yes."

"What was the crime you were accused of by The Council?"

"Trying to take over the world. Next."

"How long have you known the accused?"

"Two years."

"Have you ever tried to protect him, even if that broke the rules?"

"No."

"Would you lie to protect him?"

"No."

He felt a small burning in his hands and winced, and one of the knights -Castor's uncle- noticed it.

"Was the accused, Galileo Castellan, with you when the murders took place?"

"Yes."

The burning got hotter. Aris tried to compose and resist the burning. He could take it. He's have worse.

"Did you commit the murders?"

"No."

"Do you know who did it?"

"No."

"Was the accused involved in them?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

His hands were stinging. That was the third time that guy asked him the same question just that different. Aris' eyes widen a little after he realized: He knew Aris was lying and he wanted to see how far he would take this.

"Are you lying for him right now?"

"No."

The sword was burning through his skin; he could feel it. His upper lip was trembling, so he bit it. The other knight glanced at his partner, but Damien was the only one asking the questions.

"What was the crime you were accused of by The Council?"

"Trying to take over the world."

"Did any of your group commit the murders?"

"No."

"Are you lying?"

"N-no."

God, he wanted to drop the stupid sword. He wanted to drop it so it would stop the burning but he couldn't stop now. Not when he had endured this far. And apparently Castor's uncle wasn't going to let it finish that quick.

"Is it true that accused had a fight with one of the deceased before he appeared dead?"

"Yes."

"What are you hiding?!"

"Nothing!"

The burning continued. It felt like that time when Newt accidentally burned his hands... No. It felt worse. The redheaded knight seemed to be getting pale, putting a hand over his partner's shoulder to stop him. Hausen looked like he wanted to stop this too.

Castor's uncle shoved the hand on his shoulder and continued, his face red with anger, "Why do you do this? Why go to this extreme to save the knight's life when you're not sure if he would do the same for you?"

"Because I don't care if he would do the same for me or not. I do this because I care."

"Do you have feelings for him or something?"

_"No."_

"Did Galileo Castellan commit the murders? Was he with you when they occurred or are you lying?!"

Aris screams in pain and he can't take it anymore; he drops the sword, it clanging once it touches the ground and lays still. Aris brings his hands to his chest and tries to change his breathing, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opens them, he looks down to see his hands. Even though the burning had been worse, they did looked like when Newt accidentally burned them with his magic, but they had the shape of the sword marked into his skin. With trembling hands, the witch raised his head to look at the knights.

"You may leave."

Hausen approached the witch and took him off the stand, hands over his shoulder to guide him out of the room. The grey haired man glared behind him at Castor's uncle who had a smirk over his face. Still with his hands over the witch's shoulders, the two of them left the room.

Hausen takes Aris through the hallway but the lighter brunet witch can't trust his legs to hold him, so the gray haired man had to help him keep standing up. He manages to take the witch to a corner where no one can see them and Aris sits on the floor for a moment, bringing his hands closer to his chest. He takes a couple of deep breathes, trying to calm down.

"'m fine, I'm fine." Aris chanted like a mantra. Hausen tried to reach out for him but the witch bated his hand away, "I said I'm fine!"

Hausen retreats his hand and lets the witch calm down on his own. He takes it as a sign to let the witch a moment alone, so he turns around and walks away but not too far. Once he's alone, Aris tries to heal his hands but it seems that his magic won't do.

Oh right. You can't heal a wound from the Anima Sword that easily. He will have to try it again and again, but it will hurt using his magic that many times. How did he forget about it? Or maybe he did remember but he wanted to help anyways.

Standing up to his feet, hands still trembling, Aris starts walking towards Hausen so the older man can take him to the infirmary.

 

* * *

 

After getting out of the infirmary with his bandaged hands, Aris decided to go and check on Gally. The knight guarding the entrance to the cells gave him a look but he led him to Gally's cell. After arriving, the guard went back to his position, leaving Aris and Gally alone. As soon as he heard footsteps, the tall sandy blond stood up from where he was sitting on the bed and was surprised to see the witch there. They stood in front of the other, the cell doors being the only thing between them.

"Am I too late? Have you been molested yet? Because I could circle the block."

Gally rolls his eyes. As he does that, he catches a glimpse of the covered in bandages hands of the witch and frowns,

"What happened to your hands?"

"I shouldn't really try to cook, you know? Almost burned down the whole academy for a cereal bowl. Too bad, it would have given us time to try and save your ass."

He tries to act nonchalantly but Galileo Castellan didn't spent two years with the witch without been able to read him in specific occasions. His eyes widen a little as he realizes something.

"You took the Anima Sword test." mentally, the witch winces. "And you lied. Why am I not surprised? What did they ask you?

Aris shrugs, "You know, the usual. Do you drink? Are you a virgin? Did the man really land on the moon?"

"Why did you do it?"

"Because." he shrugs, "It was the only way to prove you were innocent."

"And did you?"

"...No, I actually think it made it look like I was covering for you."

Gally groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. He breathes in and out.

"...So, how are you?"

"Fine. Master Celestine came not long ago and made the same question."

"That must have been nice. Being able to see the man that means so much to you."

"Ugh, even without your usual tone, coming from you it makes it look like something dirty."

Aris crosses his arms over his chest, "For the first time I'm not saying it that way, you know."

"He's just... He took me under his wing when nobody else did. He taught me so much, not only in fighting style and swords, but in kindness, loyalty, faith. He's always been there for me. He's... he's..."

"An ersatz father." by his tone Gally knows it's not a question; he's telling him. "Yeah, I know about those."

There's a clinking noise that startles both of them and Aris turns to where the noise came from.

"It's the guard. It means time's up." Gally says.

Aris turns back to him, "Don't worry. We'll get you out of here."

Without waiting for an answer, the witch turns around and walks away back to the main door, passing the guard without a look. Gally just stays in his place, taking a step back until he can sit on the edge of his bed.

 

* * *

 

Aris went straight to the rooms, opening the door and entering his room finding the pack together and talking between them. They turned to him with decision written over their faces.

"What now?" he asked them.

"We're going to find a connection between the victims and prove that Gally didn't do it." Minho says.

"That's nice, but how are you going to do it?"

"Not 'us'. _'We'_." corrected Thomas.

Aris frowned a moment before he realized what they meant.

"Oh, boy."

They all ended up going to the records of every student and knight in Luna Nova Academy. Outside, Aris and Newt were using their magic to prevent anyone from seeing them, using a invisibility spell. Meanwhile, Thomas, Minho and Teresa were inside the room checking the records. They had the files out and over the round table and they were around the table, each looking for the file of the deceased.

"Have any of you found the victims? Because I haven't." Minho says.

"Just keep looking." Thomas says as he opens another file and looks over his shoulder at the witches covering for them, "How you doing, guys?"

"Fine, just hurry!" snapped Aris.

Minho picked another file and as soon as he opened it his eyes lit up, "Hey, I got it! I got it!" the other two get closer to him and read the file in his hands, "Miklos Ramey, 18 years old. Good student, excellent knight. Parents alive and no siblings. So why-

Thomas notices something almost at the end, "What's this?" he starts reading, "He was convicted for murdering a guy when he was 15 but he never got to step into jail; except of going to jail, his parents sent him here to straighten up."

Minho turns to Teresa, "He didn't say to you that he was a murderer?"

"Oh, sorry, usually when I'm having a conversation with someone I don't start with 'Your hair looks nice, by the way, I murdered a guy a couple of years ago and I didn't went to jail'." she grabs another file and opens it. Minho rolls his eyes.

"What about the other knight? The first victim."

"Got it." they turn to her as she puts the file over the table, "George Elton, 45 years old. Widower, no children. Listen here: when he was 29 he was caught while trafficking magical beasts, but he just spent two years of his sentence since the judge thought he was a role model of prisoner. He came out of jail and the next year he enrolled in Luna Nova as teacher."

The silence filled the room as they all stood straight.

"...Why do I feel so violated all of a sudden?" Minho says, slightly disturbed.

"Because now we know they all had a connection." Thomas says, "This weren't just random deaths. Someone selected this people because of what they've done. It has to be it!"

"And what about Castor Bennett? I can assure you he didn't murder anyone nor trafficked magical beasts."

"I... I don't know yet."

Teresa frowns at the files, "How come they let people like that get into the academy?"

"Apparently they have some kind of law: If they are repentant and they want to change they'll be accepted."

"That's wicked."

Thomas nods along his best friend's statement.

"But even if we show this to the headmaster and the knights, they'll think of it as coincidence and just blow us away."

Aris looks over his shoulder at them, "Then we'll need to come up with more solid evidence."

"What do you mean?"

"First put those files back where they belong and we get back to the room. Don't want anyone to pass by and see us." he feels a tremor going down his arm because of the pain from his burned hands and winces, having Thomas' attention. "You know what? I'm gonna take you back to the room. I'll handle this."

"You sure?" asks Newt.

"Yeah, it'll be quicker with my magic."

They all get together and with a swift of his hand, Aris takes them to the room. He moans in pain and brings his hand to his chest as soon as they disappear. He looks down at his hands and then back to the files.

This might be harder than he thought.

 

* * *

 

Over his office, Bastian Celestine was finishing checking the letters addressed to the families of the deceased when a knock came to his door. Without looking up from his work, he yelled

"Come in."

The door opened seconds later and Mikael Hausen entered the office, closing the door behind him. Bastian looked up at his friend and stopped for a moment with the letters.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I just... came to see how you were doing."

Bastian seems confused, "I'm fine, as you can see. Is that all?"

Mikael rolls his eyes and takes a few steps closer to the desk, "You know what I mean. Gally." at the mention of the tall sandy blond, the man sitting on the desk looked up again, "You don't have to worry about him. He's strong. And he has his friends on his side. And me and you."

Bastian stares at him and proceeds to stand up, "I know." he takes a couple of steps before standing in front of the gray haired man. "How do you know what to say to me to calm me down?"

Mikael shrugs, "Maybe I'm just this good reading people I care about?"

They stay where they are, looking at each other without saying anything. Bastian brings a hand to cup his friend's face, fingers caressing the beard underneath, "I wish it could be true." and turns around, walking back to his desk. Mikael stays where he is, slightly confused.

"I still have another letter to write."

"Right." he looks at the door, "Then maybe I should leave."

Bastian nods.

Mikael starts turning around and walking to the door. As he opens the door, he turns to the other man, "He'll be fine. You'll see." and closes the door, leaving the office and Bastian alone.

 

* * *

 

After finishing with the files and making sure no one saw him, Aris went straight to his room and as he opened the door he only found Thomas standing next to Gally's bed and Minho sitting on said bed; they turned their heads to the door.

Aris closes the door behind him, "Where's Newt and Teresa?"

"They went back to Gally's mom's house to try and find new clues that can help Gally out. They also wanted to make sure that Mrs. Castellan was fine." Minho said.

"Good. I don't need that _'the more the merrier'_ right now." and with that he went to his bed and pick up his suitcase until it was on top of the bed. Minho and Thomas shared a look.

Thomas approached Aris as the witch opened the suitcase and started looking for something.

"What are you doing?"

"Remember how I tracked you the first time?"

"Yeah... You used some kind of... artifact or something that glowed."

Aris nods, "An identification amulet. It detects the type of supernatural creature you're looking for."

"But we don't even know if there's a supernatural creature involved in the murders."

"I wasn't going there." Thomas frowns confused, "With the identification amulet you find a supernatural creature, but when you want to find someone whether they're supernatural or not, you need a variation of the amulet." he starts searching through his suitcase, half arm inside the bag, "The amulet will glow as long as you are tracking, and it stops glowing once you find what you're looking for."

Something clicks inside Thomas' head, "It can work like an identification amulet."

Aris nods again. He scrunches his face as he can't seem to find-  "Bingo!" he takes his arm out of his suitcase and shows what's in his hand: a collar with a medium sized stone of purplish color.

"Now what?" asks Minho still sitting over the bed.

"We're gonna need the murder weapons. They're our only connection with the killer."

Thomas nods and turns to Minho, who had just stood up from the bed and nods at him. Thomas nods back at him and turns to Aris.

"Okay. Let's do this."

 

* * *

 

Thomas, Minho and Aris went to the storage room where the knights had placed the murder weapons. They opened the door and went to see inside, leaving the door open. There were several things in the room, so they didn't know where to start exactly.

"So where is it?" asks Thomas.

"It has to smell like blood, Thomas. I don't think it's that complicated." answers Aris.

The brunet werewolf continues walking, looking around the room when a scent catches his nose. "There." he points at something to the left.

They approach the sword covered with what appears to be a plastic bag with blood over it.

"It's just a common sword. Anybody here can use it." Minho says.

Aris grabs the sword, "Anybody, but we're only looking for one person." he takes out the purplish stone and holds it over the sword, concentrating.

Thomas and Minho wait patiently. This better work. Moments later the stone starts shinning and Aris puts the sword back where it was.

"There. I have the killer's frequency; now all we have to do is go around the academy and when the stone stops shinning it will mean that we have found the killer."

Minho raises both eyebrows, "That's all? I thought it would be difficult than that."

"I'm sorry, is that sarcasm?"

Thomas rolls his eyes at the two of them and is about to say something when he feels a presence around them; seconds later a hand fell over Minho's shoulder, causing the Asian male to yell in fear and startle the other two, who turned around as quick as possible, ready to fight when they saw Bastian standing behind them. The other two let out a sigh.

Minho turns to his best friend, hand over his chest and says "I think I just had a mini heart attack."

Thomas turns to Bastian, who had a sheepish look, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"No, it's okay."

Minho gives him a look, "Speak for yourself, bro."

The older man speaks again, "What are you doing here? It's dangerous to be alone, especially with a killer on the loose."

"We were trying to look for something that can help Gally."

"What are you doing here?" asked Aris.

"I was passing by and saw the door open. I thought someone dangerous had entered the room, so I came to check. It's good to know there's someone else trying to help Gally."

Minho shakes his head, "Nope, nothing dangerous or suspicious. Just three guys inside a room all alone." he stops for a moment, "And please tell me that didn't sounded as bad as is seemed."

Thomas ignores him, "You're trying to help Gally as well, right?"

"Of course."

"You really care about Gally, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do. I've known him since he was a kid and taught him so much."

Thomas thinks about it for a moment and decides to go for it. "Wh... What kind of kid was he?"

Of all the things that Bastian could've say, the pack wasn't prepared to hear "A naughty child who wasn't suited to be a knight."

They blinked a few times in confusion, shared a look between them and then turned back to Bastian.

"When he was a pre-teen he used to be a troublemaker. Rude, always late, sloppy and foul-mouthed."

"That doesn't sound like Gally." Thomas says.

Bastian nods and continues, "When his mom got him into Luna Nova he wouldn't open to anyone. He never met his father and his mom was all he had, so it must have been harsh for him to try and get along with other people. He skipped classes and trainings but he had a surprising control over the sword. The way he manipulated it was like he was manipulating the wind." he shows them a bittersweet smile, "Even when he got into trouble, when other knights would tell me about it and ask me to do something about it, I would just smile at them and let them say those things about him. I did that because even though he was rude to the knights and skipped classes saying he didn't cared about them... I knew how he would secretly go training in the dead of the night. He had forbade himself to look out for help, so in that small chest he kept all of his sadness locked away and suffered in silence alone."

Thomas could feel the sadness in those words.

In his memory, he can still remember Gally's small face when he was a kid, sitting over the edge of the windows with his legs hanging in the air. Gally looking down as he clutched the covered sword to his body. Bastian sat beside him, eyes closed in a peaceful way,

 _"Don't worry."_ he said to the boy, _"I'll always be by your side until the end."_

Coming back from that memory, he continues, "I took it upon myself to take care of him. To teach him the right way. He was stubborn but he started to change. Little by little until he became the man you know now."

"You were like a father to him." Aris says.

Bastian looks at him and nods, "You could say it like that. So, yes, of course I care for him. I would do anything to protect him."

The moment was over when something in his eyes changed and he straighten up immediately.

"Well, that was a nice trip down memory lane but I gotta get back to work."

"Sure."

Bastian nodded at them and turned around, walking out of the room and away. They saw him leave until he disappeared in the distance. Thomas felt glad that Gally had someone like him in his life. Aris' voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Thomas."

"What?"

"It stopped glowing."

Thomas turns around and stares at the witch standing completely still and holding the stone no longer glowing. Aris raises his head to meet his eyes and Minho looks at him too when they have the same thought in their heads and it takes Thomas a moment to realize it too.

"Oh, no."

 

* * *

 

No. No, this can't be. This has to be some kind of twisted dream. They were not running behind the man that just had told them about Gally in such a loving way. The man that Gally considered like a father. The man that they had discovered to be the one who murdered those people. But it was the only explanation. The stone had been glowing before Bastian appeared and stopped once he had left. No one else had entered the storage room with them in that time. That explained why Bastian seemed to go rigid while they were talking: he must have seen the stone stop glowing. And if he knew what that stone meant... It means he knows that they know. Or at least that they were going to discover it soon. Thomas had a bad feeling about this and how this could end. But still, here they were, running through the halls behind said man.

Turning the corner they came to a stop once they saw a figure standing at the distance: a knight dressed in an actual armor standing at the end of the hall. Thomas is about to continue walking when he feels a hand over his arm, stopping him. He turns to Aris, whose eyes are still over the knight.

"I don't think he's letting us get through that easily."

Thomas looks back at the knight and can hear his steady heart. He wasn't going to back down. He must have orders.

"What do we do now?" asks Minho.

Thomas turns from his friend to the front as the knight takes out his sword from its sheath. Thomas raises his head, eyes glowing and fangs out.

"We fight."

 

* * *

 

Minutes before that, over the cells Gally is standing in front of his cell door, looking at the guard assigned to him as the other is pacing in front of his cell. It has to be like the 8th time he paces back and forth and it's starting to piss him. Footsteps are heard and they both look as another knight comes running to him,

"There appears to be some troubles in the east wing. Some kids broke into the file room and must have stolen something." Gally raised his head at the mention of 'kids' and he knew that it was Thomas and the rest. "You stay here and don't leave your post!"

With that he turned around and ran to where he had come from. The other guard nodded, and stood straight with his back at the cell. A strong arm appears in his vision as Gally grabs him around the neck from inside the cell.

"Alone at last!"

Before he can do anything, Gally bonks the knight on the head so hard it knocks him unconscious. Before the knight falls to the ground he grabs the keys and lets the knight fall to the ground unconscious. Gally uses the keys and opens the cell door, pushing the bars and exiting the cell. Looking around, he grabs the knight's sword and runs away. Luckily the rest of the cells were unattended, so he could sneak out without being noticed. He kept running, turning the corners and passing by many door when he sees Hausen at the end of the hall. He runs towards him and stops at a safe distance, neither of them saying or doing anything. Gally didn't really want to fight him but if he had to he would.

"I have to save my friends." is all he says.

Hausen doesn't react to it. "I know. But you can't do it with that sword." with a swift move he throws another sword at him. Gally catches it skillfully and looks at it: it was made of pure silver and it was inset with rubies. It looked beautiful. Gally raised his head and meet Hausen's eyes. Understanding and thanking him, he nodded at him and continued his path.

 

* * *

 

Thomas finds it hard for him to fight against a trained knight. The man has a freaking sword, for God's sake! Even wolfed out it's still hard. He avoids another swing at his side, and tries to claw at the knight's arms but he doesn't even touch him. And it's impossible to harm him while he's wearing an armor. Aris and Minho are standing at a safe distance from the fight. Aris' hands are still hurting and if he tries to do any spell or use his magic, he will hurt them and they'll be unprotected.

Looking around and trying to find something that he can use as a weapon, Thomas descry a panoply sword display -a shield with two crossed swords- hanging over the wall and makes his run for it. He grabs one of the swords from the shield in time before the sword of the knight sticks in the wall just where his head had been. Thomas takes a step back and uses it to defend himself from the next blow of the knight.

Minho feels a chill going down his spine. Thomas had a sword in his nightmare. He had a sword and was fighting with a knight.

Aris manages to get to the other side of the hallway, where they were originally running and waits for him to do the same. But Minho can't move. Thomas notices it.

"Minho, get out of here!"

"I'm not leaving you!"

The exact same words.

He stares as Thomas manages to avoid another attack with the sword, effectively grabbing the pommel, twisting and throwing the knight to the ground. No, no, no. The brunet turns to face him and he remembers the nightmare--  No. The vision he had the other day, and panic surrounds him but he won't have that. As he sees the knight getting up on his feet, sword in hand he takes a deep breath and yells,

_"Thomas, get down!"_

His best friend doesn't even hesitate after hearing his yelling and immediately he gets down, avoiding the sword that was directed at his head and that if it had gotten him, it would have been a fatal blow. No losing anymore time, Thomas gives a swirl to the left and manages to get beside the knight and before he realizes, he's being knocked out by the brunet werewolf. Relief washes over Minho at seeing his best friend safe and sound, and that's when it hits him.

He did that. He saved Thomas. His vision saved Thomas.

Thomas stares at the unconscious knight and back at his best friend, "Shit, Min. How did you know?"

"My vision."

Thomas frowns for a moment before a smile appears on his face, but of course Aris interrupts the moment.

"Okay, okay! We're all proud of you, Minho, but right now we need to find Bastian!"

"Right! This way!"

They follow Thomas' nose to a big open wooden door over another wing. It seemed like there was no one near them, so they continued. Thomas went first, followed by Aris and next was Minho, but before Minho enters the place the doors shut close, not before the Asian male's eyes widen and he yells

_"Thomas!"_

The doors close as Thomas turns around and doesn't find his best friend. He gets to the door and bangs at it hard.

_"Minho!"_

Aris appears beside him, "Leave him. He's safer there than he is in here."

Thomas looks at him with a hand over the door. He nods and gives the door a one last look before turning around. If the door was big the room inside was bigger. It may even be bigger than the throne room at Eris' castle back at the Underworld. There were candles around the whole room, even though it was well illuminated. Scarlet curtains were over what appeared to be the windows and there, in the middle of all was Bastian, almost waiting for them. His heartbeat was peaceful. He had his back at them.

"So... You know." was the first thing he said.

Thomas and Aris took a couple of steps forward, but they didn't get too close. "We do."

Bastian turns around and there it is. _That_ look. The same look he had when he started talking about Gally and Thomas can't take it.

"Why?" he asks. Aris looks at him, "I mean, why them?"

"Didn't you saw their files? They deserved it."

Aris spoke first, "George Elton used to traffic magical beasts."

"He didn't just trafficked with magical beasts; one of his beasts murdered a little girl and he got away unpunished."

"What about the second victim?"

"Miklos Ramey. Sure, he was a good knight, always early to his classes and prepared to help the adult knights, but nobody saw what he really was."

"A murderer." Thomas said.

"Exactly. He had murdered a friend of his and he just simply apologized and they pardoned him. Then they send him over to us to help him become a better man but he was already rotten."

"And Castor Bennett?" asks Aris.

Bastian's posture changes, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. He was like his father: an abusive kid; always hurting others with words and actions."

"But he didn't kill anyone." Thomas says.

"No, but he was close."

Aris stares at him and notices the way he said it and the venom talking about the kid. His eyes widen.

"Gally." he says, "He may not have been a criminal or a murderer but this one was personal; that's why he was garbage in front of your eyes."

"Yes. And then there's you."

He said those words pointing right at Aris.

"And not only you're a menace; you're a filthy criminal that got lucky in not getting the death sentence, and instead he gets to spend his days being guarded by a young man with a brilliant future."

Aris shakes his head, lips tight, "I didn't ask for it."

"Oh, you did. The moment you used dark magic and tried to take over the magic world, you and only you signed your sentence. And for that you have to pay."

Thomas takes a step forward, "But Aris has changed. So did those people."

"Nobody can really change."

"Gally did." Aris says.

As Bastian's eyes darken at the sandy blond's name said by Aris, Thomas realizes something else.

"You framed Gally for murder."

The older man turns to him, "I didn't."

"He's sitting in a cell, waiting for the knights to come in and send him to the gallows or whatever you do to criminals!"

"Think whatever you want, but I would never put his safety in risk."

"If that's true then you have to come clean about the murders."

"I can't do that yet. You see... There's still one more person to eliminate."

As Thomas processes that, a blade is thrown at them, specifically at Aris. The witch manages to avoid it but it barely makes a cut through his shirt, right over the arm. The two teens look at each other and then at Bastian, who pulls open at his robes, revealing swords and several blades.

"Behind me!" yells Thomas as he puts himself in front of Aris, as the witch can use his magic without hurting his hands more.

"Nothing good will come out at defending that witch. You shouldn't waste your life for someone like him."

"Everyone deserves a second chance."

"Maybe."

In a swift move he throws three blades, which Thomas manages to avoid. He wolfs out, eyes glowing and claws bared. Seeing this, Bastian throws another three blades. This time instead of avoiding them, Thomas uses his forearms to hit them away, although one manages to cut him. But the pain coming from that cut shouldn't make his skin burn like it's doing. Thomas grips his arm in pain. Aris kneels down and picks up one of the blades, looking at it carefully before he yells

"They're laced with wolfsbane!"

Thomas turns back in time to see Bastian running towards him with a sword and he stops the attack above his head, using his werewolf strength. The two of them are standing close to the other, staring into each other's eyes. Thomas manages to overthrow the sword, but is met with a kick over the stomach, and as he doubles over another kick gets to his back, sending him to the ground a few meters away. As he coughs, trying to get his air back, Bastian makes his way to him, sword in hand. Thomas opens his eyes and looks up as the older man raises his sword, ready to give a blow.

A forcefield appears around him as the sword comes down. Bastian tries it again but the forcefield won't disappear. He turns to where Aris is and sees him holding his hands out, creating the shield. The man gets angry and stops his attack on Thomas, attention drawn to the witch. He's about to walk towards him when a hard kick on the shin throws him off balance.

Thomas uses the chance to get up and away from the older man. He looks at Aris, who has his hands brought to his chest in pain.

"Are you okay?!"

The lighter brunet witch nods and his eyes widen in a second,

"Watch out!"

Thomas is thrown to the ground and he tries to fight off Bastian. Luckily the other doesn't have his sword on hand. The man raises his hand and Thomas thinks for a moment that he's going to strike him across the face but instead the blow goes to the center of his chest, pulling almost all the air inside his lungs. Thomas coughs violently, saliva dripping from his mouth. Another blow comes down to his chest and tears come out of Thomas' eyes. He can't breathe. Just as Bastian raises his fist again, a green rope appears around his wrist before he can hit Thomas again. The man follows the rope to Aris, who pulls at it with trembling hands and throws him away from Thomas.

As the older man falls to the ground, and Thomas turns to his side to get some air, Aris doubles over with his hands over his chest, letting out a cry of pain as his hands start bleeding. He closes his eyes and opens them in time to see Bastian approaching him and grabbing him by the neck, holding him up and cutting off the air.

"I should've just killed you when I had the chance."

"B-bring it on, gramps."

Before he can do anything to the witch, Thomas jumps behind him, claws going at his back and drawing blood. The man groans in pain. Quickly, Aris brings both hands to Bastian's arms and they glow green; seconds later they start burning, blood pouring out and making Bastian yell.

As neither of them let go, the man threw the witch away and then went to grab Thomas and did the same. The brunet falls beside Aris, coughing a little.

On the other side Bastian fell to his knees, blood coming out from his back, sides, and his arms had red splotches. He raises his sight to them and even though his sword is out of his reach, Thomas thinks that this might be the end. The wound over his arm is still aching because of the wolfsbane and Aris' hands won't be able to make a small forcefield to protect them.

Suddenly a gust of wind enters the room, blowing almost all the candles and rustling the curtains. The wind had been so hard that they had to cover their eyes but once the wind was gone as quick as it had come, they uncovered their eyes to see a knight carrying a silver sword with something red... rubies? A knight standing between the two teens and Bastian, but this one seemed different. He wasn't that tall and broad like the other knights they've seen. Even with an armet covering his face and a plackart covering his torso, they recognized him for the washed out jeans.

"Gally!" yells Thomas.

The knight doesn't turn his head to them, but they know it's Gally. Instead, his eyes are glued to the older man kneeling over the ground. Oh right.

Gally and Bastian look at each other, even with the sandy blond's face covered. Bastian had wide eyes as he looked at the boy a couple of steps away from him. Gally didn't move an inch since he appeared inside the room.

"Why?"

It's just a simple question. One word. But it was still full of emotions.

"I was unable to forgive criminals who make use of the law of Luna Nova. If you save a sinner who took a life, but you cannot save the people whose loved ones had been taken from them... _WHERE IS THE JUSTICE?!_ "

"A loveless justice lacks righteousness. A person who doesn't forgive is the same as darkness. Your justice is mistaken... that's why you've become this worn out."

Now that Gally mentions it, he did seemed more worn out than when they meet him a couple of days ago. Thomas didn't notice but now he does. Bastian lowers his head, eyes closed for a moment as he thinks about the future. _'Next time...'_ He coughs, blood dripping from his mouth. "I can't bear it anymore..."

Gally starts walking towards the older man, "You may not be reborn as a human the next time. But it's all right." his left hand goes to hover over Bastian's face, "I'll always be by your side until the end."

Bastian's expression goes from pure astonishment, then it changes into one with relief. Ready to embrace his fate, he opens his arms, eyes closed as he says,

"Come here... my beloved child."

And then he feels the cold sword pierce through him as Gally takes a step forward, the older man's arms engulfing him in a tight and sad hug. Thomas and Aris watch as the two of them stay like that, neither moving from their hug until Bastian seems to glow bright and then he turns into white feathers that scattered throughout the room.

Gally looks up at the feathers, holding a hand up as a single white feather falls over his palm.

 

* * *

 

Over his office, headmaster Hawkzile is looking out the window when a knock on his door comes. As he turns around, a knight appears at the entrance and approaches him, holding out a letter addressed to him. The man looks up and takes the letter, opening and starts to read it,

**_"Headmaster Hawkzile, by the time this letter reaches you, I should already no longer be here. Please find a way to forgive me. I buried the criminals who are enemies to the magic world in darkness._ **

Several knights run through the halls to reach the big room where the fight had taken place minutes ago. They push the wooden doors open and to their surprise find the place empty, some candles still light up, feathers around the room, blood stains on the ground next to small blades and Bastian's sword stuck over the ground.

**_They pitifully wished to escape from their feelings of guilt. Unwilling to ever face their own sins. Unprepared to be burdened their whole lives._ **

Over their rooms, Minho puts Aris down over his own bed as he had been carrying him. The witch moans in pain, hands still shaking. Thomas comes behind them, holding his wounded arm and tiredly sits over the chair beside the other bed. As Minho tries to change the bandage of the witch's hands, Thomas stares off at the distance without anything to say.

**_Their crimes and the suffering they caused... I took all of it._ **

At Bastian's empty office, Mikael waltz around the place, fingers slowly touching the bookshelves. He approaches the desk and his hands stops over the files and letters on top of it. Aside from that, there were no other personal items aside from some photographs: One of Gally when he graduated from the academy. One of the whole student body. And another of the two of them, standing close to the other and one of his arms around Bastian's shoulder while the other male had an arm around his waist, both of them looking at the front with a smile. Mikael looks sad at them, a finger caressing the frame.

**_I was the only responsible for the murders committed these past days. No one else was involved in any way. I'm so sorry I was unable to serve with the Luna Nova Academy or the Council._ **

Over Gally's mom's house, Newt finishes the call he received from Minho; he puts the phone down as he turns around to Teresa and Mrs. Castellan, who are sitting over the couch and looking at him with the same look.

**_I wanted to become a good father for that child..."_ **

Over a dark and isolated room, Gally was sitting on the ground, his back resting against the wall and both legs propped up, his arms resting on top of them. His face is hidden between his legs, hair falling to cover his eyes. The still bloodied sword is leaned against the wall right beside him.

 

* * *

 

Once things settled down, Gally is called to headmaster Hawkzile's office. He stands -no longer wearing the armor- in front of the desk where the man is sitting, after having putted down the silver sword on the desk. Gally stands with his eyes looking at anything but at the older man.

"First of all, I want to thank you. You must have shown me and the Luna Nova Academy real loyalty down in that room. Nothing but that could have made Master Hausen give the sword to you."

After he says that, the only reaction he gets from Gally is a slight change in his eyes.

"I know all of this must have been very hard for you, and I'm sorry for your loss, but something tells me that there's something else bothering you."

Finally, the sandy blond looks at the man, "Sir..." he licks his lips, "What if... What if I don't belong in here?"

"In Luna Nova?"

"In the Magic World. It's just... No matter how much I try, something always goes wrong. People will always get hurt. And I feel that everything I know it's a lie. It's- It's different." he looks down defeated.

"If you want proof that you belong in this world, Gally, I suggest you look more closely at this."

The headmaster hands the bloodstained sword to Gally, who takes it in his hands. An engraved motto glimmers above the ruby-encrusted hilt: _"Sumus id quod eligimus esse."_

"We are who we choose to be." translates Gally.

"Exactly. No matter what life throws at us, we must always remember that."

Gally looks down at the sword one more time before he gives it back to the headmaster. Without anything else to say, the sandy blond guy bows his head at him, and turns around ready to leave. He's just touch the knob when the headmaster's voice stops him,

"Remember: smile, my boy." still sitting over his desk, he looks out the window, "It's sunrise."

Gally follows his movement and looks out the window too. He manages to smile and nod at the older man before leaving the office.

 

* * *

 

After talking to the headmaster, Gally decided if he should go to his room where the pack -the whole pack, since Newt and Teresa came back- was gathered or if he should go somewhere else to be alone for at least a couple of minutes. It didn't take him too long to find himself going to the infirmary, which he knew would be empty.

He sat over one of the chairs and just stayed there. Of course, he knew he wouldn't last more than 5 minutes alone before someone barged in, which happened as the door opened and Aris of all people came into the room.

"I thought I would find you in here." it's what the witch said as he entered the room. Gally closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Don't worry, I'm not here for you. I came to retrieve some clean bandages." he holds his hands, "These ones are dirty again."

Gally nods at his hands, "How are they?"

"They'll be fine. I just need to keep focusing my magic on my hands and try to heal them. A couple of tries and I'll be peachy~" he searches through the drawers to find clean bandages.

Gally sits there and looks somewhere else. He hears the sound of the drawers closing and then steps getting closer; finally, the witch sits in front of him and proceeds to change the bandages as he speaks,

"Do you know what the Latin phrase _'cor aut mors'_ means? What it really means?"

"Heart or Death."

"Yes, but it really means your choice is between the Heart, which means your moral values, your duty and loyalty; or Death, to no longer matter, to no longer be respected as person of integrity. Basically speaking, it means you either have to do your duty and be loyal and respected by doing what's right in the heart or to choose the path where it matters not if you're respected."

Gally sighs exasperated, "What do you want, Aris?"

Aris finishes with the bandages. "What I'm really trying to say is... You did the right thing. And doing the right thing is what's best... even if it hurts."

Gally snorts, "Since when did you become a moralist?"

Aris grimaces, "Since you lost all hope."

They look at each other for a couple of seconds before Gally looks away first. He crosses his arms over his chest, leaning back against the chair.

"Whatever you think I'm thinking... I'm not. No longer, at least."

"So that means you're ready to leave this lovely place and go back to Beacon Hills?"

"Of course. Do you really want me to make the poor knights deal with you? No way."

Aris grins. "Alright then. Our friends are waiting."

Gally nods and stands up, ready to leave when he notices that the witch didn't stood up.

"What is it? I thought you said they were waiting."

"You go first. I need to do something first."

And after that, Aris went to Belle Reve. The guard who knew him almost passed out after seeing him once more; he just let him pass to the hall he wanted and he walked until he approached Theo's cell. The werewolf was doing push up when he felt a presence behind him. He smirked and stood up shirtless. He walked to where his bed was and picked up a shirt,

"I was getting worried that you left without saying goodbye. That would've been rude." after he had a shirt on, he approached the door.

"I think your ego would've been alright."

"So? What brings you over here?" he glances at his bandaged hands, "Someone burned the breakfast?" he smirks, "Or did you actually tried to help someone at the cost of your well-being? Haven't you heard of self-preservation?"

Aris hasn't move from where he stands since he arrived.

Theo tilts his head, "What now? Am I so handsome that you have no words left?"

"I just realized something." comes out from Aris' mouth. Theo raises an eyebrow at him.

"You're like the prototype of the romantic hero: young, rebellious, nonconformist. But what they don't know is that although he's brave, he's full of pride; an idealist, resentful against life." his hands grab the steel bars, "He's a toy for fatality."

Theo doesn't make a move, he just stares at Aris before in an instant he launches at the bars, hands gripping them where Aris' hands used to be. The lighter brunet witch moved his hands away and takes a small step backwards.

"I may be that, but you're not better... No matter how hard you try. And you know it. Which is why I know that someday, maybe not today nor tomorrow, nor in this year, you will set me free."

Aris snorts, "Why should I set you free?"

Theo takes a step back, "You shouldn't. But you will."

"You remind me of a Russian doll. Full of yourself."

Theo smirks, "One of my best qualities. But I'm serious. You will need my help and you'll come back and free me."

Aris just stares at him and without another word he turns around and starts walking away. He just gave four steps away when Theo speaks again, stopping him.

"Just consider my offer. Someday you'll need help to save your friends... And when that happens, you know where to find me."

Aris doesn't say anything nor turns around. He just continues walking towards the door.

 

* * *

 

Aris went back to the academy and to where the pack had gathered. All their suitcases were packed and ready. Thomas had an arm around the blond witch, and hugged Newt sideways. The blond witch pressed his face into the werewolf's chest with a smile. Minho picked up his backpack, throwing it over his shoulder and helped Teresa with hers. The raven blue eyed girl smiled and picked her other suitcase. Gally turned around, his backpack secured over his back and Aris' suitcases beside him on the ground, and the suitcase that had the occamy was close to his chest. Almost as if he was protecting it.

As Aris approached them Thomas started thinking about everything. Except for Aris' wounds and the one he got on his arm, everyone was safe. The murder case was closed. All the charges against Gally had been dropped and they were free to go back to Beacon Hills.

Everything was okay now and they didn't had to worry for nothing.

 

* * *

 

"Okay, class. I hope you all had a good weekend because now it's time to deliver your essays and projects."

They were wrong.

On their respective classes, the pack's eyes widen as they had forgotten their essays and projects. In their class, Gally and Aris look at each other and they both thought the same thing. Slowly the lighter brunet brought his cuffed arm down under the desk and the sandy blond took off his cuff. Making sure no one is looking, Aris makes a move of his wrist and magically their essays and/or projects appear.

Below Teresa's History book a well written and complete essay appeared. The raven girl noticed it and as she took it out the girl sitting behind her tapped her shoulder, passing her the essays of the line they were. Teresa grabbed them and puts hers in it and then gives it to the teacher with a smile.

On his class, Minho turned to his backpack while sitting on his side and once he opened it he saw something inside. Sticking his hand inside, he frowned in confusion as he took out a maquette of the Roman civilization from his backpack. He looked around to see if anyone noticed that he just took out a maquette out of his backpack in perfect state. Not seeing any suspicious glances he shrugged and puts the maquette on his desk, looking at the front as the teacher called out their names so they would stand up and bring her the maquettes.

Thomas and Newt were also surprised to find their five pages length essay for Econ and their minimum 2k long essay for History too. They looked at each other and shared a smile as the teacher called their names to bring them to her. Once it was Newt's turn, the blond witch stood up, essay on hand and approached the front of the classroom. Thomas saw him walk towards the teacher and deliver his essay; he smiled while watching his boyfriend turn around and meet his eyes.

Yep. Everything turned out good.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What do you think? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Something in the middle?  
> Anyways, I'm so happy for the ones that read this fic since the beginning.
> 
> Some clarifications:  
> This won't be the last you see of Theo, I can assure you that ;) That also applies to Gally's mom Diana.  
> The next season will probably come next Friday (28th) or maybe the week after that.  
> If you have any questions or an idea you wanna share, I'll be glad to hear :)


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